The Homo-Gemma War
by AtomicSoldier95
Summary: This is an alternate universe where Gems and Humans meet when they both are at the same technological level. This is designed to explore the idea of how humans would really act when it comes to first contact with a differen species.
1. Chapter 1

Introduction

The nature of humanity has always been misjudged for there has never been a true base line to really compare ourselves against. The best way to describe this problem is with this metaphor. Apples come in many flavors which range from sweet to sour. It is not correct to assume all apples are sour, but it is also not correct to assume all apples are sweet. The variety of apples provide a wide range that cannot be boiled down to a simple understanding. To truly compare the qualities of apples, you must compare them to a different fruit entirely. Now apply this logic to humanity, we have negative qualities, but we also have positive qualities. To truly gage the worthiness of humanity, you must compare it to another sentient species entirely.

Disclaimer:

The Gems depicted in this story are for experimental purposes and are representing a completely alternate species to humanity. I am aware of their association with homosexuality, and I just wanted to say that what I write does not reflect my position on homosexuality. I don't judge or care whether you swing that way or not for it is not my place to do such things. I am doing this story for I feel the setting and ideas present by Rebecca Sugar can be explored thorough multiple points of view. Like combining it with concepts from a science fiction post nuclear war video game (Fallout), and my own interpretation. Also obviously all rights are to the original creators, Cartoon Network, and Bethesda.

Chapter 1:

The Collision of Worlds

In the year 2217, humanity has mastered space travel and has colonized Mars and several moons of Jupiter. Humanity has been able to accomplish this under the guidance of the SEPRO company, who have resolved many of the problems that have plagued humanity for centuries, but it has realistically not been able to bring about true utopia due to the limitations of the natural laws of the universe. The only means to maintain this upward push is to establish colonies on decently sized planetary bodies. The bodies do not need to be in the habitable zone in order to establish bases, but humanity is preparing for a first contact event. One of the decisions that is being discussed is the downsizing the human military as to not threaten any civilization that may exist out in the galaxy. The military has taken on more of a research and development role for humanity by testing future concept weapons and armors in the deadliest environment known to humanity space. A squad of the military's top soldiers and scientists are on a test mission which will take place on Psyche a nickel-iron asteroid that is 150 miles on its longest side. Each member of this squad is the best in their respective field within the military. The squad has gathered to discuss the tests that need to be run.

"Alright everyone, gather around. We need to go over our duties in order to have a flawless test rounds. We don't need to have any incidents like what happened with Squad Z in company F." Said an American military captain with a strong tenor voice. He is wearing a simple gray pant and t-shirt combo with black combat boots. His dirty blond hair is cut in a traditional military style. He is sitting at a conference table with five other people sitting around the table.

"Easy Captain Trasco, we are the top soldiers in the whole bloody army. We can handle a simple weapon test." Said a Scottish man with a higher pitched tenor voice. He is in a similar look to the Captain, but he has a beard and has slightly longer hair that is reddish brown.

"Commander Bargus, I appreciate the enthusiasm, but we need to be careful" said Captain Trasco with a little bit of sarcasm.

"I agree with Captain Trascovich. We are dealing with potentially volatile materials that needs our utmost attention and care" said an Indian woman with a soprano voice on the higher end of the scale who is wearing the same uniform as the soldiers but is wearing a lab coat over the uniform. Her hair is done up in a bun in order to keep her hair out of the science experiments.

"Thank you Dr. Chopra, Now I am curious on why we need soldiers involved in a purely scientific experiment?" asked a Chinese female scientist with an alto voice with a similar uniform to Dr. Chopra.

"For your information Dr. Zaung, I am an engineer, and I am here to repair the weapons if they break" said an African male with a deep bass voice. He is wearing a uniform that is the same to the soldiers.

"That is Lieutenant Gombasra's reason. I am the best piolet in the entire military, and I can get this ship through a soup bag. And Trasco here…" said Bargus before he was interrupted by Trascovich.

"I am the military's top combat expert. I am here to push these weapons to their absolute limits. I did get the top score in the combat simulator on the highest difficulty possible; I am used to prove a weapons functionality outside of tests. Now let's go over what we are testing…" said Trasco before alarms started to blare.

"Warning! Unknown object has entered scanner range, and it is in bound to our location" said a computerized female voice.

"Thank you Sarah, Alright positions every…" said Bargus before a blue energy surrounds them freezing them in place. They are aware of the movement of time, and they can move their eyes. They see abnormally large and fit women walking into the conference room and the crew is levitated off the ground. The women guide the crew off of their ship into a ship of their own. The ship the crew saw had a saucer structure and a crystalline texture to it which made every person question the logic of this ship, but they could not voice their concerns. Captain Trascovich was separated from the rest of the group who were all place in what looked like a holding room. He made a mental note of how the door looked and he kept track of where it was in the hallway. It was after four doors when he and his guard stopped in front of a similar door way. Trascovich noticed the guard typing onto what looked like a screen, but he could not make out the language that was appearing on it. The door opened to a holding room, and Trascovich was levitated to the other end of the room. His guard walked in, but the door did not close. He could only hear the guard walk in because he was not facing the door way. Trascovich suddenly feel to the floor because the blue energy surrounding him disappeared. He caught himself before he face-planted, but he was still a bit dazed for he just recovered all of his faculties. He realized that his guard was talking, and that he could understand her.

"I never thought that I would see organic life with the capability to travel space, but I am not impressed" said the guard.

"Organic life… Are you a robot?" asked Trascovich.

"What does that term 'robot' mean?" asked the guard.

"Um… a robot is a complex machine that can replicate thought or complex actions that a person can perform" said Trascovich carefully now having a feel for his surroundings.

"Us emulate you! Please we are far superior to you in every way. We have conquered…" said the guard as she turned away from him. Trascovich tuned her out as he checked his boots for his standard issue knife, and he found it after a good minute or so. He watched his guard who was still in monologue with her back to him. He grabbed his knife and slowly rose up to not draw her attention. He slightly played with his knife to get a feel for the balance of the blade, and looked at his captor and saw where he could kill her before she could make a sound. Trascovich raised his knife and brought it down on to the guard's neck. Before the guard could react Trascovich put his free hand over her mouth, and he kicked the back of the guard's knee. He did not hear any bones snap, but he could tell that he greatly damaged the leg. Trascovich twisted the knife in the guard's neck as he brought her down to his height and by doing this he realized that the guard was taller than him. His knife broke while he performed this maneuver, but he caused critical damage to the guard. He spoke to the guard saying

"Oh look, the inferior being just killed you. In a future life keeping your mouth shut it may save your fucking life."

After he said that the guard disappeared and a gem stone fell on the ground at his feet. Trascovich looked at it and thought.

"This is a nicely cut gemstone. I wonder how much it is worth? No, Trasco you will be committing a war crime. I will just let someone else grab this gem."

Trascovich left the room and he turned right down the hallway to get back to his squad. He got back to the room and he tapped on the door in Morse Code.

"- ... .. ... / .. ... / -.-. .- .-. - .. .- -. / - .-. .- ... -.-. - ...- .. -.-. ... .-.-.- / .- ... .- - / .. ... / . ...- . .-. -.- - -. . ... / -.-. - -. -.. .. - .. - -. ..-.." (Translation: This is Captain Trascovich. What is everyone's current status?) Trascovich waited for a reply for a minute when Bargus spoke up.

"Christ Trasco! You are proving that you are not someone trick pony. We are alright, but we cannot figure out how this door works."

"I don't know how they work either. I got lucky. My guard was an idiot. I believe the best course of action for me is to get to our ship to get access to the weapons." Said Trasco in a sort of whisper to keep his voice from echoing.

"But they have not been properly tested yet. We could be risking…" said Dr. Zaung

"We don't have time doctor. We need to either escape or take over the ship. Now what is everyone's combat level?" asked Trascovich in a serious tone.

"I have gotten to level 12" said Bargus.

"I completed level 10" said Gombasra.

"I got to level 4" said Dr. Chopra.

"Fine, I only got to level 3" said Dr. Zaung.

"Alright this can work, because I bet level 20" said Trascovich.

"Holy Shit! Are you insane. No one has come out of the level without extreme PTSD, and you are telling me that you have beaten that level, and you are not scared" exclaimed Dr. Zaung.

"Who said I got out of it scar free?" asked Trascovich sarcastically.

"Off with you man, you are the only one who can save our hides now" said Bargus.

Trascovich left the door and walked to where he remembered coming into the ship. He stopped at a turn and hide behind the corner for he saw two guards standing in front of big door that was open long enough for him to see the ship on the other side. He figured that it would be a bad idea to attack the guards without a weapon.

"Hey, over here" said a female voice. Trascovich slightly jumped when he heard the voice. He turned towards the source and saw two females that looked similar to the guards but they had slight differences.

"Wow, you got past a Carnelian. That is an impressive feat" said one of the ladies. Trascovich noticed that there was a yellow energy dividing him from the ladies.

"A Carnelian… Like the gemstone?" asked Trascovich confused.

"It's complicated. Look we can help you. We just need you to let us out" said the other woman in the cell like area. Trascovich weighed his options, and he decided the option had the greatest risk, but also had the greatest reward.

"Okay, I will let you out, but you must help me and my squad. I have a feeling that it would be more beneficial if we take control of this ship" said Trascovich.

"How do you plan on doing that exactly?" asked the second lady.

"I just need to get access to our ship. We have weapons that can turn the tables, so do we have a deal?" asked Trascovich

"I suppose. You seem to know to what you are doing" said the first woman.

"Alright, now that we have that out of the way, what do I need to do?" asked Trascovich.

"We need you to just stand in this energy field. We are hoping that you could block it allowing us to escape" said the first woman.

"Alright, um…, let me do an experiment before I really help you" said Trascovich as he slowly moved the back of his hand to the energy. He touched the field, and he felt a warm energy equivalent to a summer's day.

"Okay, time to bust you two out this can." Said Trascovich as he spread himself to completely fill the door way, and using is physical training climb to the top of the frame to block the energy completely.

"Wow, thank you, you really went above and beyond to get us out of there" said the second woman as she and her friend walked out.

"No problem, so my name is Captain Mathew Trascovich, but you may call me Trasco or Captain. What are your names?"

"I am Amethyst 10GA" said the Amethyst.

"I am Jasper 20HX" said the Jasper.

"Alright can I call you by your first names?" asked Trascovich.

"That will be fine. So what is the plan?" asked the Jasper.

"Okay so first is getting access to my ship and rescue my crew. I believe the best course of action is taking the two guards at the hanger. Once we have them taken out, I will go and get my crew. I just need one of you with me to open the door. After we do that and get on to the ship, I will ask you about what you know of this ship, so we can take it over. Now the important question is that do you know where you keep your weapons we are going to need those" said Trascovich.

"We can make them from nothing. Let me show you" said the Amethyst as a decorated ax forms from her right knee. Trascovich looks down and notices the gemstone where her knee should be.

"Wow. I never thought I would see weapons come from thin air. I will admit that it looks a little too fancy to use as a weapon, but I figure it has more advanced technology behind it. Now is there a way for you to make another weapon for me?" asked Trascovich.

"It will be worth to give it a try" said the Amethyst as she formed another ax this time handing it to Trascovich. He reaches out to grab it, but the ax dissipated when he makes contact with it.

"Whelp, that stinks but was worth a shot. After learning that, I will stay hidden, and I will only get involved if either of you call for help" said Trascovich.

"That is fine. It should not be too tough for us. Just stay aware" said the Jasper. The two ally gems walked out of the hall and towards the guard who immediately drew their weapons which were crystal morning stars. The allied gems grew their weapons, and Trascovich saw that the Jaspers weapon was a clamor sword. Trascovich observed the fight very closely seeing how the battle played out, and he saw a scene of a fantasy movie. With kicks, block, lunges, Trascovich was watching seeing the weak points we would have gone for. The Jasper eventually got the final blow on her opponent as she stabbed her enemies head with her sword. The guard turned too light and disappeared as all was left was her gemstone. The Jasper picked it up and a bubble formed around the gemstone. Trascovich suddenly realized the Amethyst was on the ground as the other guard was about to swing down on her. The guard had her back towards him, so he took the opportunity to run up behind her and to wrap his arms around her throat. The guard was taller than him, but he had enough force from gravity to reach the floor and bend the guard backwards. Trascovich started twist the guards head trying to break her neck. He put all of his normal strength into it, but the guards neck was still intact and she was now trying to escape. Trascovich thought about what would happen if he failed, and that is when his adrenalin kicked into overdrive. The genetic breaks have been removed and Trascovich felt his strength go up. The guard felt this too because she realized that she could not escape his grasp. In that moment, a loud crack was heard in the hall. Trascovich let go of the guard and saw that he was holding her head as her body laid at his feet. The head looked at Trascovich with to look of absolute terror and the head asked

"What are you?" The head and the body disappeared, and the gemstone was left. The placement of the gem seemed to have been in the small of the back. The Amethyst and Jasper stood there looking at Trascovich in complete and total shock. Trascovich kicked the gem over to them and asked.

"Have you never seen a soldier breaking a person's neck before?"

"We have never seen an organic being break our physical form before Oh… right." Said the Jasper as she bubbled the gem. She touched the top of the bubbles and the bubbles disappeared into thin air. In this moment, Trascovich thought about his earliest encounter with a gem

"How long does a gem remain body less?" asked Trascovich.

"It depends on the type. Us soldiers can recover relatively quickly, but other gems can take a long time to reform" said the Amethyst.

"Shit! We need to hurry. I think my guard has recovered, and she may have gotten help" said Trascovich realizing how much trouble they could be in.

"Oh… Alright I will get this door open do you want one of us to get your friends?" asked the Jasper hurrying to the monitor to open the hanger door.

"No, they would not recognize you as an ally. I just need to get to the ship and get the weapons we use" said Trascovich calming back down.

"Got it!" exclaimed the Jasper as the door opened. Trascovich ran to his ship, and when he reached it, he spoke this phrase.

"Emergency open code: Alfa, Lima, Oscar, November, Echo, 129064."

"Accessed Granted Captain" said Sarah the ships computer.

"Can you two stand watch? This is kinda top secret" said Trascovich.

"No problem we will call out if we see anyone coming" said the Jasper. Trascovich ran into the ship and he got his bearings in the entry hall way. The cockpit was to his left so he went right to the back of the ship. He stopped at a door to his right which was beside the door to the engine room. He typed on the doors console which allowed him access to the room. He felt relief on being able to understand what was on screen, but that feeling did not las for he knew he needed to hurry to save his friends. The door opened to a weapons storage room filled with enough guns to arm his squad and the two gem he made friends with. Trascovich called out to the computer and said

"Override code: Oscar, Victor, Echo, Romeo, Lima, Oscar, Romeo, Delta, 129064."

"Access to experimental weapons granted Captain" said Sarah.

"Thank you, how are you holding up?" asked Trascovich.

"Better now that I know you are okay. I am still worried about the others" said Sarah.

"I am too. That is why I am getting these experimental weapons." Said Trascovich as he walked towards a combat uniform that he does not recognize. The uniform looks like it has thick padding that has the feel of Kevlar. The helmet had a mask that had gas flitters, and small cameras on it. The mask looks like a metallic gas mask and it inspired terror in Trascovich. He walks towards the suit as Sarah spoke

"That uniform is designed to be the next step in human combat. The suit has no weak openings for stray bullets to damage sensitive organs like eyes, and it has advanced AR features that allow soldier to stay on task even in the worst of conditions."

"I will most definitely need that" said Trascovich as he put on the uniform. It felt heavy, but Trascovich was use to carrying around weight. When he completed putting on the uniform by putting on the helmet a robotic male voice spoke

"Hello Captain, your Override order is recognized. I wish to calibrate to you in order to maximize my performance."

"I will submit to calibration. What is your name program?" asked Trascovich.

"I am the Pip program, but you may call me Pip" said Pip.

"Okay, you may continue Pip."

"Calibrating… Captain Mathew Trascovich. Caucasian Male. Blonde Hair. Blue Eyes with 20/20 vision. Addendum is monochromatic color blind. Adjusting to compensate. Compensation complete. Height 6'5''. Weight 260 with well-defined muscles.

Level: 72 Soldier.

S.P.E.C.I.A.L stats:

Strength 10, Perk List: Heavy Gun rank 5, Unarmed rank 5, Melee rank 5, Carry Weight rank 4, Bash rank 4, Steady Aim rank 3, Unstoppable Force rank 3.

Perception 6, Perk List: Rifleman rank 5, Explosive rank 5.

Endurance 8, Perk List: Toughness rank 4, Life giver rank 3, Adamantium Skeleton rank 2.

Charisma 5, Perk List: Payday rank 3.

Intelligence 7, Perk List: Medic rank 3.

Agility 8, Perk List: Gunslinger rank 5, Commando rank 5, Moving Target rank 3, Quick Reload rank 3.

Luck 5, Perk List: Bloody Mess rank 4.

Fitting the field of view adjusting… complete. Overlay adjusting complete. Ready for combat, Captain."

"Alright, this is really comfortable. Okay what do we have Sarah?" asked Trascovich.

"In the experimental vault we have an automatic shotgun with three barrels. It has the option to fire from all three barrels. There is ricochet ammo that comes with the gun which is designed to maintain momentum and bounce off of hard surfaces" said Sarah.

"That sounds amazing as a primary. Any secondary weapons?"

"Sorry sir, but the shot gun has plenty of ammo for carrying and use."

"Okay, I can carry a lot of weight. Anything else of note?"

"There is a chain gun that has an experimental heat reduction system that transfers the heat to the bullets to where they can melt through metal walls and catch targets on fire."

"That sounds amazing how much ammo do we have?"

"1000 rounds and the clip size of the gun is 1000."

"That sucks, but I think that maybe a hidden blessing. Now problem how can I carry the shotgun shells to where I can quickly reload? There are no ammo pouches."

"I am magnetic Captain. You can place the shotgun on your back, and the back pack on your back is also magnetic. I can send ammo from the pack to your arm through magnetic manipulation. Also I am sound dampening to prevent hearing loss from gun fire" said Pip.

"Okay that is awesome. I have room to grab several pistols and a rifle plus ammo for everyone else." said Trascovich as he gathered weapons.

"For your benefit Captain, Dr. Zaung has an experimental drug that may be of use" said Sarah as Trascovich loaded the Chain gun.

"Thank you Sarah, I will keep that in mind" responded Trascovich. He stopped when he heard a scream coming from outside of the ship.

"Captain! We have company! All of the soldiers are coming!" yelled the Amethyst from.

"Sarah can you do a favor for me?" asked Trascovich.

"What is it sir?" asked Sarah.

"Broadcast this musical score on loop. The score is called _Dominant Species_.

(Okay to really get the best feel for this part, play this score while you read. Here is the link: watch?v=NKGU6UuW948)

The two ally gems were hiding behind the door as they hear the entire squad of gem soldiers stationed on the ship came to recapture them if not worse.

"Well we tried, but I guess our final fight" said the jasper holding her weapon.

"I hope Rose Quartz is having better luck than we are?" asked the Amethyst in a concerned readying her weapon. They suddenly heard the start of a sound they never heard before as they saw Trascovich run out of the ship carrying a large device and in a new uniform.

"Alright you two stay behind the door and be prepared it is about to get loud!" shouted Trascovich as he stopped at the opening to the door. He saw the soldiers coming towards his position. He spun the gun up and before the gun could fire he yelled

"I am Captain Trascovich, and I am taking control of this ship! Word of Advice: Don't fuck with humanity!" After he yelled the chain gun roared and start the spray of bullets. The gem guards had walked into their own death. The bullet ripped through them with ease even causing libs to be removed from the body. Trascovich keep the gun firing as he moved forward. The gem guards' forms disappear as he kept up his assault. The guards who were in the back retreated when they could to be behind the door the entered from when they saw that the rest of their friend were killed they shut the door. Now the bullets were only hitting the door, but the doors were not design to stop an attack like this. Trascovich fired for so long the bullets were now flying out of the now red hot barrel with a yellow glow. The spot where the bullets where hitting the door started to crack and the cracks spread across the door until the doors collapsed. It was at this point the chain gun ran out of ammo. Trascovich dropped the chain gun and pulled out the shotgun and load it with a clip as he walked down the hall seeing what he had done. He saw broken gemstones on the ground, but he was focused on finding his squad. He got to the door where his squad and he did hear anything. Keeping his cool he leaned down towards the door and knocked

"... . .-. . (here)"

"Christ Trasco! You know you how to make an entrance" said Bargus.

"Is everyone okay? I got access to our ship, and there are enough guns to arm everyone" said Trascovich.

"You monster! You shattered all these gems!" yelled the Jasper as ran up to Trascovich trying to tackle him. Trascovich dodged and said

"What are you doing?!"

"I am stopping a monster before it decides to shatter me!" yelled the Jasper.

"What is shattering? What did I do!?" yelled Trascovich.

"Jasper X stop! He does not know what he has done, and he protected use from them!" yelled the Amethyst.

"Your right…, I am sorry Captain for jumping at you. I am just shaken by how much damage that device can cause" said the Jasper as she got up from Trascovich.

"Breath. Count to four. Exhale… Alright, I can understand that all new soldiers have to work through the nerves at some point. Now we need to focus on capturing this ship." Said Trascovich holding back the urge to attack Jasper X.

"Hey Trasco, that uniform you have on there. It looks like a uniform from an old war movie, and it was not worn by the good guys" said Bargus.

"That may be true, but it is surprisingly comfortable and protective" said Trascovich.

"Whatever you say, so now that we are armed, what is our plan of attack?" asked Dr. Zaung.

"We need to get control of this ship and get it to the nearest base, so to do that we need to know the layout of the ship" said Trascovich.

"So, we are currently on the second floor. The engine room is on the bottom floor, and the command center is above us. Since Captain Trasco eliminated the quartz squadron both places are accessible" said the Amethyst.

"I believe our first target should be the engine room. If we can prevent them from leaving the Solar System that increase our chances of success" said Gombasra.

"I agree with that course of action. We do need to be careful and not damage any of the engines. What is the expected level of resistance for the engine room?" asked Trascovich

"I would say about three Peridots. They are not too dangerous, but they are surprisingly tough. We do have an ally in that room. She was not caught, so she will be keeping a low profile. I would suggest you let one of us go in order to talk to her" said Jasper X.

"Okay let's head out people" said Trascovich as he leads his squad down the hall. They reached an elevator which was too small for everyone to fit in so the group needed to reorganize.

"So, we need to split. I suggest we send a gem and three people down to provide support. Anyone volunteers?" asked Trascovich.

"I am always ready for a good fight" said Bargus as he stepped up.

"Your technology maybe different from ours, but there may be underlying principles that can assist in our takeover" said Gombasra.

"I can help in the conversion repairs if they are needed" said Dr. Chopra.

"Excellent, Engine Team grab the guns you are proficient with. So which one of you… um… ladies want to join with Engine Team?" asked Trascovich.

"Uh… why are you asking? Aren't you the leader?" asked the Amethyst.

"I am the leader, and a good leader tries to use their resources to their max efficiency, which includes asking your subordinates where they can best be used. I am only human, and in situations like this it is better to get everyone's thoughts and opinions" said Trascovich.

"That is really interesting to hear" said the Amethyst.

"We do not have time to discuss the differences between our cultures" said Jasper X.

"Okay, I will go with the Engine Team" said the Amethyst.

"Dr. Zaung, Jasper X looks like you are with me. Dr. Zaung grab a weapon and some ammo. You do not haft to aim for the head or chest because it seems that their bodies can't handle high pressure force. No offense" said Captain Trascovich.

"Whatever, we need to get to work before we get to far away from your home" said Jasper X.

"Alright Captain, we can handle the engine room. You get up to the bridge and show those hard asses whose boss." Said Bargus as he entered the elevator with the Engine Team.

"Alright now Miss Boulder Lass, we are going to need to find your friend quickly and for you to try to take out those Peridots... We don't want to fire our guns in the engine room just in case we cause serious damage with ricocheting bullets" said Bargus.

"Alright, now I must warn you…" said the Amethyst as the elevator doors open up to a pretty open chamber with a heart like core on the opposite end of the room. It has a pinkish glow and there are about six big arteries that sent the energy to the rest of the ship. There are three slender females with a lime green skin tone with darker green clothing with a pink diamond on their stomachs. The women are arguing in a language that the humans in the group could not understand. The Amethyst is able to understand the conversation, but it is no time to eavesdrop.

"Alright, unless you ladies want to end up in a snot nosed kid's class ring, you just need to relax and do as we say" said Bargus pointing an automatic rifle at the group.

"I suggest you listen to the organic being. They don't mess around" said the Amethyst.

"Like we are going to listen to an organic lover like you. And we are not afraid of pathetic organic life…" said a Peridot right before a gun fired sending a bullet into her knee causing her to collapse on the floor before she faded out of existence leaving her gem.

"I had a feeling diplomacy would not get us far" said Gombasra as he is lowering the smoking gun.

"Damn, that was a nice shoot Gombasra" said Bargus with a quick glance to his right to look at Gombasra. The Peridot to the left of the fallen foe pulled out a spear that matched her coloring.

"Stay back… or don't move… what did you just do!?" screamed the Peridot backing away from the group. The Peridot to the right of the fallen gem kept quiet as she summoned a green knife, and she stabbed the freaking out Peridot to the point where she faded out of existence leaving her gem.

"I am surprised to see you down here. I did not think you would be able to get out of your cell" said the Peridot as she picked up the two gems and green bubbles formed around them.

"We got luck by coming on this scout mission to this part of space" said the Amethyst. The Peridot placed her finger on one of the bubbles and it disappeared.

"Whoa, where did that bubble go?" asked Bargus before the Peridot could touch the bubble.

"It went to our base on a planet far away from here. Don't worry they will not be bothering us" said the Peridot.

"Leave the bubble here. My superiors would love to have a 'chat' with the lass trapped in that bubble. Besides information is power, and we need all the power we can get if this is just the beginning of an invasion" said Bargus as he relaxed his rifle.

"I hate to be a party pooper, but the technology used for this ship is beyond my expertise" said Gombasra looking at the core pondering the functionality of the structure.

"In fact it looks more like a heart than an engine, I might be able to use my understanding of knowledge of biology" said Dr. Chopra as she stepped forward examining the core. After looking at it for a minute or so Dr. Chopra had a brilliant idea.

"I think we can give this core a heart attack, if we block the tubes that go to vital travel functions we can keep this starship within the Solar System. Once this ship is under our control we can unblock the tubes to bring back functionality" said Dr. Chopra pointing at the tubes coming from the core.

"Or you can let the expert do her job and not run the risk of blowing the ship up." Said the Peridot as she typed on a hologram screen.

"There we are stuck in your system until we can get control of the ship and leave" said the Peridot with an annoyed tone.

"We will discuss were this ship is going to go once we get a control of this ship" said Bargus as he made a call to Captain Trascovich.

"Sir, we have control of the engine. We are not going to be taking a ride to the great here after in a literal sense" said Bargus.

"Thanks Bargus, Dr. Zaung, Jasper X, and I are about to head up to the bridge. I figured it would not be smart to get into a fight and accidentally send us half way to Andromeda." Said Trascovich as he motioned everyone into an elevator.

"Okay Dr. Zaung, fire at any gem that gets behind me. Remember, you do not need to aim for the head or chest just need to make contact. Jasper X stay in this elevator. I don't want to accidently hurt you in my ricochets.

"Fair enough. The pilots are Nephrites, and they are traditionally decent fighter but with your style of fighting I don't think you will have any problems" said Jasper X

"Captain, I have something that might help you just in case things get a bit rough" said Dr. Zaung reached into her lab coat grabbing an inhaler like object. She hands it over to Captain Trascovich.

"What is it?" asked Trascovich.

"It is an adrenaline enhancer that gives the user the feeling that the world is moving in slow motion. I and Dr. Chopra call it, Jet." Said Dr. Zaung.

"Hopefully, I will not need to use it, and Sarah told me you had this." Said Trascovich right before he was contacted by Bargus.

"Captain, I got a bit of news. The expert down here said she can open up the bridge from here. The bad news is that it has a lockout system that will cause the door to close within a minute, and it would be a serious lock that could only be unlock from the bridge." Said Bargus over the radio.

"Okay thanks for letting me know. I think we are on the deck now. I will give a signal to you to relay to the expert." Said Trascovich as the elevator doors open to a hallway revealing several quartz soldiers standing in the hall with their weapons. The soldiers look like the soldiers that got away from the chain gun. They were afraid of him, and he figured that they were not uses to fear. Trascovich got out the shotgun and primed it for firing.

"Pip open the mouth filter. I need to inhale a foreign substance." Said Trascovich as he brought the inhaler to his mask filter.

"Yes sir. Do you want me to send the signal to Commander Bargus now?" asked Pip.

"YES! HURRAH!" screamed Trascovich as the Jet kicked in. Time slowed for him and allowed him to perform surgery with the shotgun. He lined up his shots to take advantage of the ammo he was using having bullets bounce off of every wall making it impossible for the gems to dodge. Trascovich kept moving forward as he fired he reached the other side of the hall when he felt time speed back up. He made it to the bridge with his perception of time returning too normal. Trascovich saw the pilots of the ship, and he noted that they were very slender women, but they have the appearance of a cyclops.

"Alright if you don't want to end up like your friends out in the hallway then you are going to do exactly as I say…" said Trascovich just as he noticed a voice coming from a strange looking stone. He could not understand the language, but he understood context of someone trying to figure out what the hell is going on.

"I am Captain Trascovich. Your crew entered human territory, and has attempted to adduct high ranking military personnel. The only option you have that will not be a declaration of war is to open communications to our leaders to negotiate a solution to this fiasco." Said Trascovich loud enough for the stone to pick up.

"What… Nephrites, what is on the bridge with you? Answer me!" said a female voice on the other end of the stone.

"I will repeat, I am Captain Trascovich, and your crew is trespassing in human territory, and have attempted to captured me and my crew. I am going to be honest you are play with some serious fire." Said Trascovich with a slightly angry tone due to the woman ignoring him.

"Nephrites! I will report you for having this thing in your bridge. Now, report!" said the woman with an angry tone. Trascovich is now completely peeved off at this insult. He looked over at one of the terrified Nephrites. He went over and grabbed the Nephrite that looked like she had the most command and she dragged her over to the stone.

"Talk to your bull headed commander before I cut communication" said Trascovich as he adjusted his shotgun's aim.

"Hessonite, please this organic being is something you don't want to mess with. It destroyed all of the quartz's on the ship! They have control of the ship, and they have weapons that we can't handle!" screamed the Nephrite as she is being restrained by Trascovich.

"I will not stand for this insubordination. On your return you will be detained and your fate will be considered at that time." Said Hessonite coldly.

"You are a terrible commanding officer your inconsiderate bitch!" screamed Trascovich realizing what kind of structure this military functions on.

"Excuse me!" said Hessonite unable to ignore Trascovich's comment.

"You heard me! You are a horrible commanding officer. You show little concern for your subordinates even after they clearly tell you that they are in a dire situation. Your negligence is appalling. I going to lose this channel, and I'm not going to waste my time on a completely incompetent commander." Said Trascovich as he motioned for the Nephrite to turn of the stone.

"You will not ignore me. I am superior to you in ever…" said Hessonite as the channel closed.

"I am sorry about you being chewed out for no good reason." Said Trascovich as he lowered the shotgun.

"I… actually appreciate that. Funny, my enemy is more compassionate to me than my own commander." Said the Nephrite as she turned away from Trascovich calming down and walking toward a chair in the bridge of the ship.

"I have a feeling you and your crew are not going to be the only ones of your species that will be coming the solar system." Said Trascovich as he contemplates what has just occurred now that he is coming off his adrenaline.

"I am going to open up the bridge. I need to speak with the Jasper who was helping you." Said the commanding Nephrite as she typed on a screen in her chair.

"Captain, what are you doing? She is our enemy and a traitor to the diamonds." Said one of the other Nephrites who is recovering from their initial shock.

"I know, but after hear that conversation and witnessing the fighting prowess of this being. I am sure that my skills are better served elsewhere." Said Nephrite as the door to the bridge opened.

"Captain Trascovich are you injured or are you suffering any nasty side effects from the Jet?" asked Dr. Zaung as walked over to Trascovich.

"I am fine. Jasper X when you are done with the clean up the commanding Nephrite would like to speak with you." Said Trascovich now with some heavy breaths due to exhaustion kicking in.

"I am already done, so…" said Jasper X as she looked at the Nephrite.

"I would like to apologize for my order to imprison you and your friend. I have come to realize the truth that Rose Quartz has said about organic life now that I have seen the pinnacle of it firsthand. So does the offer to join the rebellion still stand?" asked Nephrite in an apologetic tone trying to hold back tears from her eye.

"Yes it still stands for you and the rest of your crew." Said Jasper X as she hugged the Nephrite.

"We will neve…" said both of the lower level Nephrite before they stopped themselves when they saw Trascovich raise his gun in their direction. Essentially his movement communicated that they need to really consider their choice.

"We will consider it." Said the two Nephrites sheepishly realizing how screwed they were about to be.

"Hey, Bargus we have control of the bridge. The expert can grant full access back to the bridge." Said Trascovich as he contacted Bargus.

"Will do. Hey Captain, I am curious about what are we going to with our guests?" asked Bargus.

"We will figure that out once we get back within communication range." Said Trascovich has he turned toward the gem group.

"So I am curious about this rebellion you mention, but I would like for you to tell your story to my superiors. This is actually my species first contact with extra-terrestrial life. I also think that you may have a cause worth supporting, also we honestly need access to your tech to prep our defenses against any future incursions." Said Trascovich honestly to the group.

"We will consider it once we get in contact with our leader, but I would like to visit your planet." Said Jasper X unsure about his offer.

"Well, planets and lunar colonies." Said Dr. Zaung

"Honestly, it is probably going to be best if you let plug in our ships AI into the bridge." Said Trascovich as he walked towards the exit of the bridge to head to the human starship.

End of Chapter One


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2:

Dreams and Revelations

"We are within communication range Captain. Would you like to setup a channel?" asked Sarah from a speaker with in Trascovich's suit. The ship has been traveling for an hour or so from the Asteroid Belt.

"Hang on a sec, we almost have you set up on the bridge. H, is everything hooked up?" asked Trascovich. Gombasra, the commanding Nephrite, and the Peridot are work on setting up a projector with in the cabin so that the human communication system can work on the gem ship. The crew has been gathered from the 'Engine' room, and they have been warily talking with their now questionable allies.

"I am actually pretty impressed with your communications system. You can send what you call 'video' live along with sound, and the mapping of your part of space is very detailed. It is almost beautiful in its quality," said the Peridot as she is looking over the data.

"I would hope it is detailed because that took us basically our entire existence as a sentient species to develop which was around 200,000 years ago plus or minus a few years," said Bargus as he is sitting in the Nephrite commander's chair, and examining the controls in the arms.

"I am curious. What is a 'year'?" asked the Amethyst as she watches the group work.

"A year is the time it takes for our home planet: Earth to orbit the sun or our system's star if you think of it that way," said Dr. Chopra as she checked Trascovich's vital sign for any significant change after he used the Jet.

"Is that measurement used for your colonies as well?" asked the Amethyst with a bit of a confused tone.

"It is, but we do take into account our colonies' orbits. Our biggest colony is on a planet where the orbit is nearly double Earth's orbit, so we keep track of an Earth year and the colony planet's orbit. For example: Earth date for today would be 05/21/ 2217 while Mars date would be 03/32/0167. The three represents the Martian month which is 57 Earth days, the thirty-two is the specific day within the month, and the 0167 is the Martian years since the colony was established on the planet. To record the date, we write the Earth date first and the Martian date second," explained Dr. Chopra to the Amethyst, who seems to be getting the example.

"It is like our cycles, but I am curious as to why you have more than one form of time value," said the Amethyst genuinely intrigued by the human customs.

"Alright the communication system is set up, Captain. You can make the call," said Gombasra.

"SEPRO Military Comm Network online. Please, state communication clearance," said a female robotic voice similar to Sarah, but a bit lower in tone.

"Communication Code: Charlie, Romeo, India, Tango, India, Charlie, Alpha, Lima. Recipient Code: 0795864," recited Trascovich to the program. The gems in the room were confused for they only now completely understand the basic language because they had advanced language processing programs that could pick up on basic language, but the programs where not designed for nuance or code, this caused them to not comprehend what Trascovich just said. The human crew knew exactly what that meant. Trascovich was going straight to the general, and Bargus got up from the seat in perpetration.

"Approved. Connecting… Connected," said the female voice as the channel opened up to an Indian woman wearing similar clothing to Bargus and Gombasra. She seemed to be sitting at a desk, and it was then she looked over to the screen to address Captain Trascovich.

"General Maheswaran, Captain Trascovich reporting," said Trasco as he saluted his commanding officer. The salute was a holdover from the US military and caught the attention of the gems, who gave each other a look that communicated that his salute is much easier to do.

"At ease Captain, I figure you have something very important to tell me," said General Maheswaran as she focused he gaze on to her screen.

"To put it simply, we have made first contact."

General Maheswaran paused before continuing with a tone of excitement and caution. "How did the event play out? Are they hostile or peaceful?"

"It is complicated, but we do have beings you can communicate with here." Trascovich turned towards the gem group looking at them with a questioning look. The Commanding Nephrite spoke up after a few moments of pondering. She did her people's salute which involved crossing their arms and bending their hands to form a diamond shape on their chest. Every human present raised an eyebrow at the complicated salute.

"At ease…um, officer," said General Maheswaran in a slightly questioning tone, confused on how to address the Nephrite.

"I am Nephrite 4ZE. I am the commanding officer of this vessel and main pilot," said the Commanding Nephrite as she relaxed her arms from the salute.

"How should I address you?" asked the general trying to comprehend the naming principle of Gems.

"Nephrite is fine."

"Alright now that we have pleasantries out of the way, it is time to get down to business. My first question is why are you in the Sol. System?"

"My former superiors were able to identify very low frequency electromagnetic signals, and they were able to pin point the origin of the signals to this sector of space."

The General raised an eyebrow at the phrase "former superiors" but moved on to more pressing matters. "Were you or your superiors able to make out the signals?"

"No, they were not able to translate them, but they determined that the signals were not from a natural source. They sent us on scout and capture mission to discover the source of the signal. My crew and I were ordered to capture anything of interest, and your subordinates looked …interesting. We did not figure that they would give us trouble, but we were wrong with that assumption."

"So… why should I trust you to not carry out your intended mission?"

"I realized my former superiors constantly overworked and harshly punished us while they shove false propaganda in our faces, and your species, especially Captain Trascovich, has proven to be the most dangerous form of organic life any Gem has faced. You also have showed signs of sentient intellect, which exposes the lies I have been told by my… no by the Diamonds," said Nephrite as she struggled for a moment and then regathered her composure to finish.

"That is all I needed to hear for the moment, but I will need to know more about your civilization's military and motives. I am ordering the military to hold their fire as the ship approaches. Flight Commander Bargus direct our guests to the Olympus Mons military base. We will be clearing a landing zone for you. Congratulations officers; you are the first humans ever to meet alien life," said General Maheswaran as she turned to a different screen to relay her orders.

"What is your ETA?" asked the General.

"At the rate we are going, we will arrive in about 2 hours," said Bargus as he checked the time on his personal screen.

"I am signing off. Contact the base when you are closer to landing," said the General as she closed the channel.

"We are going well below the maximum speed of the vessel. Do you want us to increase the speed?" asked the Peridot.

"We will maintain this speed for now, but how fast can this ship go?" asked Bargus tentatively.

"This ship can travel as fast as light," said the Peridot. Every human looked at her with a look absolute shock.

"That's impossible! The amount of force a ship would undergo during that kind of acceleration would rip it apart before coming close to light speed, and there is not enough power in the known universe to propel a ship forward like that," said Gombasra as he regained his composure.

"It is true that you cannot accelerate an object to the speed of light, but that does not mean you cannot bend the space around the object at the speed of light." Said the Peridot slowly as she gave a puzzled look to the humans.

"That was one of the theoretical ways to travel at such a speed, but you still have the problem with the power source. You need to use an incalculable amount of energy to have a prayer of pulling a maneuver like that off," said Gombasra still doubting the Peridots claim.

"We have the power needed, but it does…" said the Peridot before she was interrupted by Trascovich who just had a thought.

"Hey, um does your species know about germ theory, or the idea of microscopic life forms?" asked Dr. Chopra bit scared about what the answer might be.

"Yes, we are aware of microscopic organisms, and yes, this ship is sterilized" said the Peridot annoyed that she was interrupted.

"Okay, I was afraid we might be giving your Homeworld friends a huge advantage, by having us already dead," said Trascovich relieved.

"And it is good thing your species has similar air requirements to us, or we would have been in trouble earlier," said Bargus relieved that Trascovich asked the important question.

"Speaking of air, Sarah run a chemical makeup of the air on this ship. I want to confirm that this air meets human requirements." Said Dr. Chopra as she was reminded about that issue by Bargus' comment.

"Yes Dr. Chopra, I am running an air quality test now…testing…testing…testing…done. The air is an exact match for Earth air, but there is an unknown radiation present," said Sarah. This gave the humans a new cause for concern.

"Can you tell whether it is harmful?" asked Dr. Zaung with a worried tone in her voice.

"It is not immediately harmful, but we will need to assume that it will have long term side effects," said Sarah.

"And that means…" said Bargus knowing the answer would not be enjoyable.

"Yes, you and your crew need to be flushed," said Sarah.

"Ughhhhhh…" said every human for they knew what getting flushed meant.

"What did your computer say about flushing?" asked the commanding Nephrite who looked over her crew with a puzzled look.

"We are vulnerable to radiation, and we have been exposed to a new form of radiation. We now need to clean out our insides to prevent injury. This means we need to pump chemicals designed to remove radiation into our bodies. The chemicals, however, cause aches that lasts for weeks," said Chopra dreading the process and weeks to come.

"Want me to update General Maheswaran?" asked Sarah.

"Yeah, we need to be sure that we are not poisoned," said Trascovich

"Message sent, we will be arriving in thirty minutes," said Sarah.

"Mars is coming up sir. We will be landing shortly," said Bargus looking out the window.

Suddenly the Gems rush up to the window to look out to the planet of Mars. The red planet came into their view, and the planet looked dead in their eyes.

"This is one of your colonies?" asked the Peridot with a snarky tone.

"It is. We are too far out to see any major signs of human development. Mars has been this color for as long our species can remember. There we go. You can now see our cities," said Trascovich has he looks towards the planet seeing more of the human development of Mars.

"I doubt that…" the Peridot said before she lost her words as she and her friends turned to look at the sight. They saw towers that glistened with a metallic shine a feature most of the Gems never experience in their existence. On the ground the Gems saw strange continuous platforms that supported small ships that did not have the ability to fly, but they crawled on the platform at a fast pace. As the ship got closer to the planet, the gems noticed green areas protected by clear domes. The Gem group finally got a good look at their destination, which was a tall red hill with platform going into the base and a circular metallic platform on the top.

"That is the Olympus Mons Military Base that is our destination," said Trascovich to the group.

"This is amazing. You were able establish all of this on a dead planet," commented the Amethyst with amazement.

"It took us seventy years to really establish the colony, but now is the most profitable venture in human history due to the asteroid mining industry, and metallic processing industries," Said Trascovich appreciating the groups excitement for their new surroundings.

"Alright, Nephrite please direct the ship to the green lights," said Sarah as the ship got closer to Olympus Mons.

"Yes my… okay Sarah. Crew your places," said the commanding Nephrite as she got to her seat, and she brought up her screen to command the ship.

"Okay…, I see the lights," said the Nephrite

"Alright easy does it lass. This can be a tricky landing for…" said Bargus

"I am an experienced pilot, and I have been in control of this ship for centuries. I can handle it without help from a…" said the commanding Nephrite with an angry tone before Bargus calmly spoke.

"It is a tricky landing for people who have not been to Olympus Mons before," said Bargus.

"Right…sorry um…" stuttered the commanding Nephrite.

"Would you like help?" asked Bargus.

"Yes, please," said the commanding Nephrite as she let Bargus help with the landing of the ship. With Bargus' help, the ship was able to land soundly. The metallic platforms opened up to let the ship into the base. The ship lowered slowly into a large room, and once the ship touched the landing floor, the metallic doors shut over them and a white sterilizing mist filled the room. Once the mist settled, the humans where given the okay to leave the ship.

"Okay Gems, my crew and I are going to be going through 'the flush', but you will be given a guide who will guide you through many aspects of human society. You can visit us once we get cleared for visitors, but we are going to be parting ways for a while," said Trascovich.

"I don't know if we can really understand your culture without you to really explain it," said the Jasper recovering from her amazement.

"Y'all be fine, besides, it is better to learn through observation than through explanation," said Trascovich as he and his crew left the bridge. The gems followed after them, and they made their way through the ship to the hanger.

"Would anyone like to do the honors?" asked Trascovich.

"I will," said Jasper X as she walked towards a screen to open the hanger. She typed on the screen and opened the door. The scene that laid before the Gems was a wide open metallic space with many ships similar to the design of the ship they have in their hold. They had a sleek design with a wide front window and cone cylinders in the back. There are people standing in front of the ship, but they are in hazmat suits due to the report of an unknown radiation coming from the core. They are lined up in a way to welcome the Gems, who are a bit nervous at this sight.

"It is okay, they are people. They are wearing those suits to protect them from the radiation we detected in the ship," said Trascovich figuring that this was a bit confusing for the gems.

"Don't worry we are not going to harm you. We are here to get our comrades, but we welcome you to Mars. A guide will join you after we decontaminate you, and it will not be a harmful process." Said a man with a Russian accent. His voice was muffled by the hazmat suit.

"You really know how to make guests feel welcome Grigor." Said Trascovich sarcastically to the man standing before them.

"At least I am not getting flushed." Said Grigor in a snarky tone.

"Wow, I am hurt Grigor. Anyway, let's get this over with. Gems enjoy your time to get to know us. Once, I get fully recovered we are going to be talking about how to prepare for Homeworld," said Trascovich as he walked over to a room labeled with decontamination. He entered the room and his crew followed. They saw hospital gowns on a table that in the center of this white room. There where stalls along the far wall for changing. Everyone grabbed a gown, and walked to a stall silently. They knew this was not going to be fun, so they entered their respective stalls to get the flush over with. Trascovich got out of the uniform he wore during the fight.

"Thanks for your help Pip, I greatly appreciated your company, and HUD really helped me," said Trascovich as he laid the suit to the side.

"Your welcome sir, I would like to serve with you in the future," said Pip.

Now in his gown, Trascovich sat down on a seat that can become a stretcher. When he got comfortable, a robotic arm came down with an injector with a form of anesthesia that can be used safely and quickly. The injector contacted Trascovich's skin, and he felt a slight pressure on his bare arm. He knew the anesthesia was going to make him feel tired, so Trascovich relaxed letting the anesthesia take hold.

Trascovich finds himself standing in a black void with the only source of light is himself. He was engulfed in a white flame, but it did not hurt him. He noticed that he was in the armor that he just took off.

"Well, I've had weirder dreams, but this seems bland in a sense," said Trascovich commenting on his environment with a conscious awareness. He knows that he is dreaming, and remembers his previous dream.

"Help…" said a strange female voice from what felt like was far away.

"Hello, who's here with me?" asked Trascovich pinpointing the location of the voice.

"I am going to close the distance between us," said Trascovich as he concentrated on getting closer to the source. Nothing really happened.

"Well, I guess I am huffing it," said Trascovich as he moved forward. As he walked forward towards the source, a mannequin doll with complex joins, no face, and an aura of darkness lunged towards Trascovich from the darkness. He was able to dodge the attack with ease.

"You're going to need to do better than that, if…" said Trascovich as he noticed a gemstone inside the figure. It did not look like the stone was supposed to be in the figure and almost looked like the stone was trapped in the figure.

"Okay, my turn," said Trascovich as he punched the figure square in the chest. When his fist made contact, the sound that emitted from the strike was that of a shotgun going off. The punch blasts open the chest of the figure which caused it to collapse to the ground and the gem to fall out. Trascovich bent down to pick up the gemstone that now looks familiar to him.

"Nephrite?... what's going on?" asked Trascovich looking at the gemstone. Suddenly the white flame caused light to emit from the gemstone. The gemstone shoots up into the air and lets out an explosion of light revealing essential an endless army of black figures surrounding him.

"Okay then, I guess it is show time." Said Trascovich as he got ready to fight the army for he knew this was a dream. The figures did not attack Trascovich, but stood around him. The light changed form and lowered itself to be in front of Trascovich. The light shoots off into the distance, and stopped when a symbol came into view, four diamonds that make up a bigger diamond. He looked closer to the symbol, and saw a woman trapped in the symbol.

"Hey, I see you I will get to you in a bit!" yelled Trascovich hoping that his voice can be heard. The woman in the symbol noticed Trascovich and looked over to him. She gave a feeling of warmth, and she seemed to have an eternal beauty that rivaled anything humanity has made or seen.

"Thank you, … But the time is not right… you must accomplish great feats before… I can be freed… you must break the unbreakable…"

"Break the unbreakable? What do you mean?" asked Trascovich confused. Before he could give more thought to what was said the shadow figures all began to rush towards him. Trascovich is caught off guard as the shadow figures piled on top of him, and he was pinned as the darkness closed around him.

Trascovich shoot up board straight from his sleep. Alarms went off from his sudden awakening, and Trascovich realized that he was in a safe place. He saw that he was now in a hospital room as a male attendant in gray scrubs came to check on him.

"Captain Trascovich, you're awake. Glad to see you recovered from your reaction to the anesthesia," said the attendant as he checked the equipment.

"I had a reaction to the anesthesia?" asked Trascovich puzzled and now feeling the dull soreness from the flush.

"You did not wake up when we thought the anesthesia wore off. We were afraid you had an allergic reaction to it. Luckily, we found that you were not going through an allergic reaction, but that left the doctor puzzled on why you did not wake up. I will go and get the doctor, so she can explain it better," said the attendant as he walked out of the room.

Not much time passed when a Caucasian brunette haired woman in a red skirt dress with a short sleeved black jacket and black boots walked into his room.

"Rachel, I am so glad to see you sweetie," said Trascovich glad to see the love of his life walk into the room.

"I am glad to see you are awake. I was afraid you would miss our wedding," said Rachel with a mixture of relief and playfulness.

"I maybe the best soldier in the military, but I know there are some battles that I won't win. I will ask for some leave so we can focus on shopping for the wedding," said Trascovich now thinking about that future date.

"We?" asked Rachel jokingly.

"Okay… I will be there as emotional support for you as you choose decorations for the wedding," said Trascovich with a jokingly surrendered tone.

"Ah, Captain Trascovich. Glad to see you awake. I am Dr. Mirra, and I am taking care of your case. I am happy to report that you are in perfect health despite your reaction to the anesthesia, but we are going hold you for a few days just to be sure," said Dr. Mirra an African woman with a southern America accent dressed in a doctor's uniform as she checked Trascovich's charts.

"Did anyone else have problems with the flush?" asked Trascovich.

"No, everyone else had a normal flush, and they were released to go back to their respective homes to recover," said Dr. Mirra finishing her checkup.

"That's good to hear, and thank you for your service doctor," said Trascovich.

"Your welcome, and thank you for bringing those aliens to the planet. They have become celebrates," said Dr. Mirra.

"Good to hear that they are adapting to our society, wait, how long was I out?" asked Trascovich.

"You were out for three days, but we were able to flush out the radiation. There seems to be no damage from the radiation. Your 'condition' is also in check, so I am going to give you two some alone time," said Dr. Mirra as she left the room.

"Hey, are you okay you have been a little distracted?" asked Rachel.

"I had a weird dream while I was under, and I have a feeling that it is something that the Gems can answer," said Trascovich as he turned toward Rachel.

"Do you think it was a message?" asked Rachel.

"I don't know honestly, but it was different from any dream I have had… well ever. I can't completely right it off especially with me being asleep for so long," said Trascovich as he contemplated the dreams meaning.

"It can't hurt to explore into it… Oh crap! Sorry honey, it is girls' night to night, and I need to go. I will come by tomorrow, and spend more time with you," said Rachel before she kissed Trascovich on the lips as she is holding a small clear device.

"I will be fine. Go have fun, I am not going anywhere," said Trascovich as he watched his fiancée leave his room. Trascovich decided to push the call button for an attendant. After a few minutes an attendant came into the room.

"Can I do anything for you sir?" asked a female attendant.

" I need to speak with the Gem aliens," said Trascovich.

"I don't know if I can do that sir," said the Attendant with a sadden tone.

"I am a friend of theirs, and you just need to send a message," said Trascovich with a reassuring tone.

"I can do that. It will be tomorrow when they come by. Will that be fine?" asked the attendant.

"I am fine with it. Thank you for doing this," said Trascovich.

"Alright, I will send the message. Enjoy your evening sir," said the attendant as she left.

Trascovich looked around the nice room and saw that it had a window view of the Martian city, and the planet as a whole. It was sunset, and the sky was a shade of calm blue thought sadly Trascovich could only guess on what blue looked like for the world in his eyes was many shades of gray. The irony of peace on the planet named for the master of war was not lost on Trascovich for this is a moment of peace for a man of war as well. Trascovich still felt tired, so he closed his eyes to sleep and hope for normal dreams.

Trascovich woke up when he heard a familiar voice speak to him.

"Hey Captain, we got your message. We really love it here," said the Amethyst with an excited tone.

"Glad… to hear?" said Trascovich a bit groggy.

"So you needed us for something specific?" asked Jasper X.

"Yes, I had a weird dream… do I need to explain what a dream is?" asked Trascovich catching himself before he continued with his description of his dream.

"No, we got a rundown explanation of what a dream is from our guide program," said the Peridot not wanting to go through the explanation again.

"Okay, so…" said Trascovich as he recounted his dream. The gems had various face of belief and disbelief.

"So you had a dream that you think pertains to us?" asked the Peridot

"I believe so, and Nephrite it featured your gemstone prominently," said Trascovich looking specifically over at the commanding Nephrite noticing the absents of the other two Nephrites.

"Where is your crew?" asked Trascovich.

"They wanted to stay in the rooms to learn more about human culture. I want to have a hands on approach to learning about your society, but back to your dream. What was the symbol that my gemstone reviled to you?" asked Nephrite.

"It showed me four diamonds stacked into a bigger diamond," said Trascovich drawing the symbol with his finger in the air. This caused Nephrite to almost instinctively place her hand on her gemstone. It glowed a little bit as a standard issue comm screen came out of her gem. She drew the symbol on it and showed it to Trascovich.

"Yep, that's the symbol, but what does it mean?" asked Trascovich.

"It is the symbol for the Diamond Authority, our former leaders and current enemy," said Nephrite in a serious tone.

"So your leaders are diamonds?" asked Trascovich in a puzzled tone.

"Yes, they are the most powerful beings within our species both physically and authoritatively," said Nephrite with a defeated tone.

"They are unbreakable. Nothing can harm them…" said the Peridot.

"Yet you revolt against them? That tells me that they are crappy leaders," said Trascovich jokingly trying to lighten the mood.

"They do many things wrong, but they at least know how to keep gems under their control," said Jasper X with a disgusted tone.

"But their control is starting to weaken especially with Rose Quartz rising up and her points being proven," said the Amethyst with a hopeful tone.

"Who is Rose Quartz?" asked Trascovich.

"She is a quartz soldier who feels that the Diamonds methods of treating organic life during their conquests of planets," said Jasper X

"And what is the purpose of your conquests?" asked Trascovich in a grave tone. He feared the answer.

"Homeworld conquers more planets to make more of us… We need organic material to be created, and the process is not beneficial for the planets they conquer," said Jasper X as she turned away from Trascovich to look out of the window.

"How much damage does the planet suffer?" asked Trascovich seriously not wanting to know the answer but needing to know it at the same time.

"The conquest destroys the planet's organic life and leaves them as nothing more than abandoned rocks," said the Amethyst with shame looking down at the floor.

"Nephrite can I borrow your phone?" asked Trascovich.

"Yes… why do you need it?" asked Nephrite.

"I need to get in touch with my superiors for every second I wait is another second closer to a Homeworld victory," said Trascovich as he tapped on Nephrite's screen.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3:

Ghosts and Fate

Captain Trascovich is slowly walking toward the general assembly room in the Olympus Mons Military Base. He is in a dress uniform to meet the military board and present grim information. The gems are right behind him, and they are a bit nervous about the meeting. Trascovich and the gems runs into his crew who are also in military dress uniforms.

"Y'all are looking good. I hope the flush was not too rough on everyone?" asked Trascovich concerned.

"We are all fine. You were the one who got the short end of the stick especially since we now know the truth about that radiation," said Bargus

"The radiation was benign, so we did not need to go through the flush," said Dr. Chopra with a slightly annoyed tone.

"The flush has put me a little behind in my research, but the introduction of new technology does make up for it," said Dr. Zaung.

"I am looking forward to the examinations of your ship. I will be honest; the ship will jump our technology forward a century at least," said Gombasra.

"Wait… who said that you are going to examine our ship?" asked the Peridot.

"We are going to need to negotiate the details. Right now we need to focus on getting your information to the generals," said Trascovich as he saluted the guards at the doors. The group followed Trascovich's lead and saluted the guards, which they returned, and the doors opened into the room.

"All rise and salute. In attendance in this board meeting is General Maheswaran of the North American Prefecture, General Escovedo of the South American Prefecture, General Gaschler of the European Prefecture, General Qui Xu of the Lower Asian Prefecture, General Vailiev of the Upper Asian Prefecture, General Harb of the Middle Asian Prefecture, General Smith of the Austro-Indonesian Prefecture, General Emem of the African Prefecture, General Trapper of the Antarctic Prefecture. All Prefectures are in attendance, and any decision or request shall go directly to the President of SEPRO," announced one of the guards at the door. The generals and the guards are wearing dress uniforms with medals representing their services.

"At ease," said General Maheswaran. The Generals were sitting in a raised semi-circular judge's platform.

"Captain Trascovich, we have received your call, and the information from it is quite… troubling," said General Emem, an older African gentleman in a detailed gray general's uniform with various metals on his chest.

"It is all true… sir," said Jasper X hesitantly.

"We are not questioning the validity of the information. We are just dealing with the fact that we are no longer alone in the universe…" said General Harb, a middle eastern female in a similar uniform to General Emem.

"And our neighbors are a genocidal race of crystalline robots," said Vailiev, a middle aged Caucasian gentleman.

"That is not necessarily true General," said Trascovich trying to lessen the sting of that comment.

"Trascovich is right. We are a part of a group that wants to protect organic life from our former leaders," said Jasper X in a more confident tone.

"Then it would seem that we have an opportunity for collaboration," said General Qui Xu, a younger Asian male.

"What are you getting at?" asked the Peridot as she stepped up. All of the general's look at each other. After the moment of silence, one of the generals spook up.

"What will it take for you and your group to help us in our defense?" asked General Smith, an older Caucasian gentleman. The gems are taken back by this question, and the group gathers around to discuss the options.

"Okay, who is opposed to helping them?" asked Jasper X silently so that the Generals and Trascovich could not hear them.

"I want to help, but um… I don't know if we can take accept their help" said the Amethyst.

"But bringing a human to a Diamond may convince them to hear out Rose Quartz," said Nephrite.

"That is unlikely but having their military prowess can help the rebellion," said the Peridot.

"Rose Quartz does not want to have organic life involved in our conflict, but you are right Peridot," said Jasper X.

"What if ask for a thousand humans? If they all have a similar combat level to Trascovich then, I feel bad for any Homeworld soldier who fights against them," said Nephrite.

"True, we can work with that," said Jasper X as the group disassembled to face the Generals.

"We will help you in your defense, if you allow us to bring 1,000 of your soldiers with us," said Jasper X with confidence. The General where silent and contemplative. They looked at each other as they typed on their screens to communicate with each other. After a few minutes, a conclusion was reached.

"We cannot confirm your request right now, but we will present it to all of the shareholders," said General Maheswaran.

"How long will this process take?" asked Jasper X.

"It will take a year and a half to come to a conclusive decision, but we would like to ask you some vital questions while we are gathered here," said General Qui Xu

"Before you ask just know we are trusting you to deliver on your promise so, what do you want to know?" asked Jasper X

"How long did it take you to reach the Sol. System?" asked General Qui Xu

"With rough conversions between our systems, it took us fifty years to reach this system," said Jasper X.

"And you were traveling at your top speed?" asked General Maheswaran.

"Yes," said Jasper X

"We are about to pull up a map of the galaxy with our spot highlighted. We want you to point to where you came from," said General Smith as he pulled up a galaxy map. The map had the Sol. System highlighted in green with a yellow circle that approximated fifty light years.

"We came from this area," said Jasper X as she pointed to the right of the Sol system within the Local spur.

"That is HD 50629," said General Harb.

"Wait, you know of this planet?" asked the Peridot.

"We recently discovered it through the Ganymede Observatory. It is a special interest planet for it was a nearly exact match for Earth. We also have been picking up unnatural signals from that region, and now we know what those signals are," said General Harb.

"It seems we were fated to meet," said Jasper X.

"How many forces can your race muster?" asked General Escovedo.

"Homeworld can muster forces of one million at least," said Jasper X. There was a pause in the assembly hall.

"Do your ships have major offensive capabilities?" asked General Emem.

"They don't really. We were experimenting with the tractor beam, and it was a success. Since we are here, however, the success of the beams will not be known for the time being," said Jasper X. The tension in the room lifted a bit with that information.

"Thank you for your co-operation during this session, and we hope this will be the beginning of future co-operation. We will continue to monitor you, and let you experience our culture more. If you choose to help us in our defense before the vote, we shall compensate you," said General Maheswaran.

"Thank you…?" said Jasper X confused.

"I will explain later," said Trascovich.

"Captain Trascovich, we also need to speak with you," said General Maheswaran.

"Yes General?" asked Trascovich.

"We want you to come up with a rough design for the defense and in order to accomplish this task we are going to promote you to Colonel. This will grant you access to more information, and you will be stationed on Earth. You will have six months to prepare for reassignment," said General Maheswaran.

"How rough can these plans be?" asked Trascovich with a slightly nervous tone.

"Just develop a brief dossier with a rough prediction of the flight path with suggestions on how to handle large fleet numbers. We will send you a transcript of this meeting to your apartment," said General Maheswaran.

"Thank you, I am honored for the promotion, and I will move to Earth as soon as possible," said Trascovich saluting.

"Here is your medal representing your new rank. Wear it with distinction," said General Maheswaran as a soldier from the doors came and presented the medal to Trascovich. He stopped saluting and picked up the medal. Trascovich pinned it to his chest, and returned to saluting.

"As for the rest of you, you are being assigned to work with Trascovich when you have completed your current work. For those who are scientists, you will be promoted to head scientists for any research involving this new technology once we have approval to do so. Colonel Trascovich is now your commanding officer," said General Maheswaran. The group looked at each other. The crews silence told Trascovich that they agreed with they ruling.

"That concludes this meeting of Generals. You are dismissed," said General Maheswaran. All the generals stood and walked down towards the door. Once everyone was outside, Trascovich gathered his new squad around him to deliver his first orders.

"Everyone, I am going to be settling my affairs here before I head off to Earth. I will give everyone all the time you need before you join me on Earth. I will inform you when I am ready for your assistance," said Colonel Trascovich.

"Glad to see you moving on up in the world, Trasco. I'll be heading on Earth for a family reunion. I will go ahead and station myself at a base there," said Bargus.

"Apply to the Pentagon Mega Base in the North American Prefecture. I will be stationing there for research," said Trascovich.

"Colonel, with help from subatomic physicists, I have been able to develop a method for picking up on the radiation that we experienced on the ship. We have only been able to pick up the signal on the atomic level, but we are working on seeing if we can filter for the radiation in observation telescopes," said Gombasra.

"Excellent, keep developing that scanner. We should, at the very least, be able to track their movements while they are in our system," said Trascovich pleased.

"Dr. Chopra, I would like you to do more tests on Jet to determine any negative side effects. I want to provide soldiers an out just in case they get surrounded," said Trascovich redirecting his attention.

"Yes sir, I will start running more clinical tests on Jet, and will let you know about any significant results," said Dr. Chopra.

"Dr. Zaung, when you are finished on your current research, I want you to partner with Gombasra and help in his research on the radiation," said Trascovich

"Yes sir, Colonel," said Dr. Zaung.

"Everyone dismiss," said Trascovich saluting his crew. They saluted back, and once they were dispersed, Trascovich turned to the gems.

"I am looking forward to future cooperation, but I cannot really ask anything of you right now. I can answer any concerns you might have about the vote," said Trascovich

"So how does the vote work?" asked Jasper X

"Basically, every sentient being within the Sol. System will vote on whether to accept or decline your offer. We need to persuade people to vote for your proposal, and we have about a year and a half to campaign. I will need your help later, but you can take more time to learn about our culture," said Trascovich.

"Why go through a vote when your Generals could have made the choice when we were gathered?" asked Nephrite.

"This is a big moment for us as a species. We are potentially going to a habitable planet that is outside the Sol. System, and there are nearly limitless possibilities with a planet like that. On the other hand, if we send soldiers to a new plant that is under attack by a superior species, we could be risking more serious action from Homeworld. There are so many risks and rewards involved in this decision that a small group cannot accurately represent the whole. If we are going to commit to helping you, we need a true majority for fairness," said Trascovich.

"Sorry, … I am still getting accustomed to your societies freedom" said Nephrite.

"It takes a while. Hell, there are people who still think we don't have free will, but that does not matter right now. Anyway, if you have any general society questions ask your guide, but if have a questions about the campaign or assistance give me a call," said Trascovich. A soldier walks up to him carrying a metal box.

"Major Trascovich, your stuff," said the soldier as he handed the box to Trascovich.

"Um… I thought this would be sent to my apartment?" asked Trascovich as he grabbed the box.

"The Generals wanted to update your phone to match your rank. Also, it is better to hand this over to you here than in the mail," said the soldier as he saluted and left.

A Few Days Pass

Backstage of a Talk Show

"Colonel Trascovich, you're on in five," said a female backstage employee.

"You'll do fine sweetie. You look nice in your uniform. Besides, you think the host is hilarious," said Racheal.

"That's because I am not on the receiving end of the jokes," said Trascovich jokingly and nervously.

"Trasco, you kept your cool when you fought against an alien race. I think you can handle the Solar Report," said Racheal before she kissed him on the cheek.

"My guest to night is Colonel Trascovich…!" said a strong male voice which was followed by applause.

"It's show time," said Trascovich as he quickly walked on stage. The crowd erupted in cheer for the first human to make alien contact and win the first fight. He walked over to a desk that was on stage and sat in one of the chairs near the desk. The man sitting opposite of him is Jack Morgra, the host of the show. He is dressed in a nice business suit, and he exudes energy.

"Welcome to the show," said Jack.

"I am glad to be here," said Trasco.

"So you're the first human to meet alien life, how does that feel?"

"Well, I have not really thought about it, and I can't really describe it. It might be like receiving new neighbors," said Trascovich. Jack chuckled a bit for Trascovich gave him a set up.

"Well, new neighbors have the decency to wait after the open house to ruin your yard. The life you encountered already threatened bodily harm and destruction of property," said Jack pausing to let Trascovich speak.

"That's just a Tuesday in my neighbor," said Trascovich in a joking tone, and the crowd doesn't outright laugh for his joke was not the best.

"Guess, I will stick to my day job," said Trascovich shrugging.

"Kissing SEPRO's ass," said an angry female voice. A blonde haired woman in jeans and a t-shirt stands up, distinguishing herself from the crowd. She walked through the crowd to the stage, but guards came up to stop her. She did not even bat an eye at them as she used multiple fighting styles to take out the guards leaving them dazed.

"Okay, what is your deal?" asked Trascovich with anger.

"My deal is that a traitor is helping the great evil of SEPRO, and that he has allowed himself to become a lap dog. You were designed to kill," said the woman as she walked closer to Trascovich.

"How do you know that?" asked Trascovich shocked.

"Because I am your sister," said the woman as she revealed her naval. Trascovich saw that she has no belly button. Trascovich repositioned himself in preparation for an attack. The woman lunged at him which knocked him over, but he was able to use the momentum to throw her off of him. She hit the wall which gave Trascovich time to get up. The woman gets back up and goes to punch Trascovich. He blocks the attack and he tries to counter, but she is able to keep up with him. After a few seconds of fighting, the woman spoke up.

"Glad to see that you were trained to fight. I was afraid that you be a squishy lap dog," said the woman.

"Well, I would say the same if you weren't try to kill me. Speaking of which, why are you trying to kill me?!" yelled Trascovich.

"I don't want to see my brother work with the murderers of my family!"

"Wait what?"

"SEPRO coldly murdered my mother because she made us the next step for humanity, and they could not accept that,"

"Being born from a tube is not our next step, having your genetics rewritten by the whims of insidious individuals is not our next step, and being used as a weapon to push a bullshit agenda that is detrimental for overall survival in not our next step. I maybe a soldier by design, but I am a human by nature!" yelled Trascovich as he unleashed a brutal and fast assault on the woman, but she was able to block his punches and kicks. Trascovich was still recovering from the flush, so he was slightly dazed from his attack, and the woman took her advantage by knocking him down.

"It seems that I was right, and now brother it is time for you do us a favor and…AAAAAHHHHHHH!" said the woman as she was being shocked with a Taser.

"I don't think so bitch. That is my fiancée!" yelled Rachel as she lowered a Taser that she picked up from the dazed guards.

"Good timing," said Trascovich getting up. The police and military police came into the building and grabbed the woman.

"Officer's be careful she is highly trained in various martial arts styles," said Trascovich.

"Thank you, Colonel, we will be careful. You and your fiancée just fill out your statement and you can be on your way."

"Thank you for coming onto the show Colonel Trascovich," said Mr. Margra

"Your welcome, and sorry for the show being ruined," said Trascovich.

"Yeah, we will redo the episode. My staff will get in touch with you to reschedule once we work out compensation for any audience members that where injured," said Mr. Margra.

"Thank you," said Trascovich.

The Next Morning

Trascovich's Bedroom

Trascovich's phone vibrates which wakes him up. He groggily answered the phone.

"Morning,"

"Trascovich are you alright?" asked Bargus concerned.

"I am alright, just a little down that I got my ass handed to me," said Trascovich.

"Well despite that I am glad to hear you are doing okay. Our visitors have decided to help us with our defenses," said Bargus

"Any reason why they decide to work with us without the deal?" asked Trascovich.

"They were honest and said that they were bored. Jasper X and Amy G are going through physicals, which will give us valuable data on Gemma Machina," said Bargus

"Gemma Machina?" asked Trascovich.

"That is what the science board has agreed to call their species, and yes we ran it by the Gems before we made it official," said Bargus.

"And Amy G?" asked Trascovich playfully.

"Some of the privates came up with that name when we introduced the Amethyst. Anyway Peri is helping Gombasra and Dr. Zaung with the tech analysis," said Bargus.

"Okay, I did not think she was the nickname type," said Trascovich.

"She has calmed down since she started working for us, though we did have some slight difficulty at first," said Bargus.

"What happened?" asked Trascovich.

"She wanted to work by herself, but we had to have our scientist around her to record any of her discoveries. She was annoyed with this at first, but she started to relax, and now she freely talks with the science team," said Bargus.

"Glad to see her calm down. I was afraid she would be hard to work with," said Trascovich.

"True, Nephrite a.k.a. the One Eyed Wonder has been learning how to fly some of our out of date ships, and Trasco she is the fastest learner in air force history. She already learned the complex maneuvers, and came up with a few on her own. That girl makes an instructor proud," said Bargus.

"What about the other two Nephrites?" asked Trascovich.

"Yeah, they have not left their room, and we are a bit concerned about them being a problem," said Bargus.

"How so?"

"They have been looking into very old military data from the United States and China, and they have mostly been looking at information revolving around humanity at its worst," said Bargus.

"Okay, carry this through to the observation people. My orders are to increase surveillance on those two, and do not allow them access to any military data until we can confirm they are allied with us. Bargus if anything comes up involving this matter I am giving you authority to handle it, and I will have the proper paper work in by the hour," said Trascovich.

"Pleasure sir, but why are you giving me the authority?" asked Bargus.

"I have personal matters to attend to, and I trust you to make the right call," said Trascovich.

"Does it involve that woman you fought?" asked Bargus

"It does, and that is all I can say," said Trascovich

"Understood sir," said Bargus as he hangs up the phone.

Trascovich types a request to see the woman in his phone and sent it to the Military Police Precinct. As he is getting dressed in his casual uniform, a message came through his phone approving the meeting. He sends another request to wear the experimental combat suit just in case the interrogation goes wrong. After few minutes, a message arrived approving of the request and attached to the message was a file that held Trascovich's past.

Later that Morning

Military Interrogation Room

Trascovich now in the Pip combat armor is standing in front of the door leading to the room. He is hesitant to open the door, and he is worried that there is more in the works.

"Nervous Captain?" asked Pip.

"I am a Colonel now, and yes, for many reasons," said Trascovich.

"Do you want to call off the meeting, and try again later?" asked Pip.

"No, I need to do this now to get the full story, and to prevent any catastrophe that might be brewing," said Trascovich. He breathed in, held it for four seconds, and he breathed out as he opened the door in to an all-white room with a two-way mirror on the far wall. In the room was a simple table and a vacant chair close to the door. The woman who was still in her outfit was sitting across from him, and she just glared at him as he sat down.

"I read over the Übermensch file, and you are not in the records. I am in the report, and I know I am a tube baby. This begs the question where and when were you created?" asked Trascovich sternly.

"I was created at the same time you were. I was rescued as SEPRO agents invaded the lab," said the woman.

"Why you though?" asked Trascovich.

"They saw that I was stronger than you, and I now agree with that sentiment," said the woman.

"Survival of the fittest, the ideology of HELOS, a problematic concept that leaves little room for negotiation. I am going to be straight with you. You are not the biggest threat to SEPRO anymore, and what we are facing now is stronger than all of humanity combined. Now what you argue is that we simply let this threat roll over us since we are weak in comparison to it?" asked Trascovich. He is not being completely honest with her, but Trascovich feels that desperate times call for desperate measures.

"No, we should fight this threat at all costs!" yelled the woman.

"Then that means you don't fully agree with your ideology!" yelled Trascovich.

"Humanity is the strongest species out there, and with the guidance of HELOS we can be even stronger," said the woman.

"HELOS calls for the slaughter of countless innocent people in order to 'purify humanity', which is wrong for so many reasons, but one of them is that we need our current population to fight this threat," said Trascovich.

"When will this so called threat come?" asked the woman.

"At best 50 years, can your Übermensch program replenish the population to handle this threat?" asked Trascovich.

"No…" said the woman softly.

"What was that?" asked Trascovich.

"No, it can't! We can't replenish the human population to its current levels within 50 years!" yelled the woman. Trascovich was stunned by her response, and so he let a few moments pass.

"So it seems SEPRO is humanity's best hope?" asked Trascovich calmly.

"I will only believe you if you can prove…" said the woman before Trascovich opened the door revealing Jasper X.

"Miss meet Gemma Machina Jasper. She is a member of the race that wants us dead, but she is an ally," said Trascovich as he closed the door.

"Bullshit!" yelled the woman as she tried to lunge at Jasper X. She was stopped by her chains, but she still doubted Trascovich.

"I guess you will need a demonstration, Jasper X, you ready?" asked Trascovich.

"Not really, but go ahead," said Jasper X. Trascovich pulled out a pistol with a silencer on it from a holster on the suit, and he shot Jasper X in the head. She was pushed off balance by the force, but before she could hit the ground she faded from existence leaving her gem.

"What the hell… wait where is the body?!" asked the woman.

"She is perfectly fine and will be back in a bit," said Trascovich.

"Okay, I am starting to believe you more, but I will never trust SEPRO for what they did to me and my mother," said the woman.

"What did SEPRO do?" asked Trascovich trying to get her side of the story.

"They force HELOS to hide me, and start my training. They killed my mother who sacrificed herself to save me," said the woman. Trascovich knew that what she said was wrong, so he pulled out his phone.

"What I am about to show you is a tape from the raided HELOS Genetic Lab. This will shock you," said Trascovich as he brought up the video. The video begins with a view of a lab with two large glass tubes filled with a liquid, and there are two babies one in each of the tubes.

"That is us. What are you going to show me?" said the woman.

"Hang on. You will see what I know," said Trascovich. The scene continues with a woman that looks identical to the prisoner walks to check the tubes. After a minute, a man walks up to the woman and they begin talking.

"That is our mother and father," said the prisoner.

"They are your parents. My parents are the Trascovich's, and they are the people who raised me. Your parents, and my gene donners are the top members of HELOS," said Trascovich. The scene continues as the couple began arguing, and they really get heated.

"Why is there no sound?" asked the woman.

"It was corrupted. We were only able to recover video," said Trascovich. The man pulled out a gun and shot the woman. Non SEPRO soldiers came into the lab and moved the female baby leaving baby Trascovich alone. A few minutes later, SEPRO soldiers entered the lab and found the woman and Trascovich, but the video cutout before more was shown.

"Dr. John Wrathford, the leader of HELOS and your father killed your mother my dear," said Trascovich.

"How do I know that this is not doctored in any way shape or form?" asked the woman.

"The video has been archived in a secure data base with 24/7 surveillance by programs, and I have witness testaments that align with the video's aftermath. Did you ever see this video while under HELOS care?" asked Trascovich.

"No, I did not," said the woman in a somber tone.

"What is your name?" asked Trascovich

"Jessica…," said the woman softly, so Trascovich could not hear.

"Can you repeat what you just said?" asked Trascovich.

"My name is Jessica," said Jessica.

"My name is Matt, and the fact that you gave me your name tells me you are more willing to talk," said Trascovich. Jasper X reforms at this time, which catch both Trascovich and Jessica off guard.

"Okay, that hurt. It took me longer to reform than normal… Um am I interrupting something?" asked Jasper X.

"Sorry about that, um yeah thanks for the demonstration. I will catch up with you later," said Trascovich as he opened the door for Jasper X to leave.

"Okay… um yeah glad to help with your demonstration I guess," said Jasper X a bit confused as she left the room. Trascovich shut the door quickly.

"Sorry about that, I forgot about her being in here, so where were we?" asked Trascovich recovering from the shock.

"I don't trust SEPRO fully, but I now have doubts about HELOS," said Jessica.

"I can understand that, but are you going to be willing to help us out when it comes to HELOS?" asked Trascovich.

"I cannot promise anything, but I will not be trying to escape now," said Jessica with a chuckle. Trascovich chuckled back as he left the room.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4:

The Calm Before

Trascovich and his squad both human and gem are setting up a wailing stone to communicate with the main Crystal Gem resistance group. The wailing stone was modified to accept advanced sound equipment to record the conversation and amplify the signal. Trascovich is preparing for contact. He is keeping track of the raids on HELOS hide outs and keeping in mind his marriage coming up in a month.

"Sir the stone is ready for use. How do you want to start this?" asked Gombasra finishing up some adjustments with the Peridot.

"I want Jasper X to start the conversation. Do you mind?" asked Trascovich.

"No I do not mind… sir," said Jasper X. She and the rest of the gems have somewhat adjusted to human societal structure, but there are still some hang ups.

"We will turn it on when you are ready Jasper X," said Trascovich giving her access to the stone. Jasper X thinks about how this conversation could change everything not just for the Crystal Gems, but for all of gem kind.

"Okay fire up the stone," said Jasper X. The equipment surges with power and the stone gives off a bit of static until the signal is final strengthened enough to be received.

Strange noises emanated from the stone. The humans in the room picked up on the fact that it was a language, but they could not understand it. The speaker had a female voice.

"Amazonite, it is Jasper X. I have news for you,"

"Jasper X… I thought you were captured, and what language are we speaking right now? Some sort of new code?" asked the Amazonite confused.

"Well… I am speaking a language that was formed by an intelligent race. An organic race," said Jasper X with reserved excitement.

"Wait… you… you found advanced organic life?" asked the Amazonite now shocked.

"I will let them speak for themselves," said Jasper X as she let Trascovich step up to the stone.

"Since we have the language barrier out of the way, I am Lieutenant Colonel Trascovich. I am an organic life form and we call ourselves humans," said Trascovich with confidence.

"…This is amazing… Jasper X… Rose was right…" said the Amazonite collecting herself.

"Hey we need to get Rose Quartz here now!" yelled the Amazonite, but it sounded like that she was facing away from the stone on her end. It was only a minute before a new female voice came on to the stone.

"Oh this is so exciting… so who am I speaking to?" said the new woman.

"You are speaking to a Lieutenant Colonel Trascovich, Rose Quartz," said the Amazonite.

"Affirmative, so Rose Quartz… we need to talk," said Trascovich.

"Of course… What do you want to discuss?" asked Rose Quartz.

"What is the likelihood of Homeworld retaliating to a scout ship going missing?"

"They would more than likely send some search and rescue ships to find where the ship crashed. Why do you ask?" said Rose Quartz.

"We have captured a Gem ship, and the crew who were loyal to Homeworld were able to send out a distress message…" said Trascovich.

"Why would they send out a distress message. They would only do that in major emergencies," said Rose Quartz.

"We became the emergency. My crew and I were able to escape from capture which lead us to meet up with your allies. Long story short we were able to subdue the rest of the crew, and we now have custody of the ship," said Trascovich trying to avoid detail.

"Wait… How did you beat the crew…? How advanced is your species?" asked Rose Quartz now realizing that these being might mean business.

"Rose Quartz… They have weapons that can destabilize our forms from a distance, and with aiming… they can shatter our gemstones with no trouble… I saw Lieutenant Colonel Trascovich destroy an entire gem squad by himself," said Jasper X. Trascovich looked at her with an angry look for he was trying to avoid that subject.

"What?! You shattered all of those gems on that ship!" yelled Rose Quartz.

"Ma'am, I am sorry. We had first contact with your species, and it was a hostile encounter. It was more of a fight for survival… We will work on how to limit gem casualties, if we ever have any more face to face encounters with them," said Trascovich trying to regain control of the situation.

"I am upset that you did shatter those gems, but your logic is sound… So what do you want the Crystal Gems to do for in regards to Homeworld?" asked Rose Quartz.

"We need the Crystal Gems to monitor Homeworld activity and let us know if any ships start heading our way. We have a rough estimate that it would take 50 years for Homeworld ships to reach the Sol. System," said Trascovich.

"A year?... Is that like our cycle system?" asked Rose Quartz.

"It is roughly similar… anyway we need you to let us know when ships start to head to our direction," said Trascovich.

"Why are you so sure that Homeworld knows that your species exists and wants you dead?" asked Rose Quartz.

"During their call, I got control of the stone and I told off a Nephrite's commanding officer… a Hessonite," said Trascovich.

"You… Hessonite is the general of Yellow Diamond, and you told her off," said Rose Quartz shocked.

"And the fact there is an organic species that can hurt gems might also be incentive for Homeworld to wipe us out," said Trascovich grimly.

"I will get you all the information we can get to help you set up defenses… I wish I could do more for you," said Rose Quartz concerned.

"There is… Rose Quartz… can you get the designs for our warp pads?" asked Jasper X.

"I am not sure I can, and why are you asking?"

"If we can successfully defend ourselves from a Homeworld invasion, we want to bring the fight to them by helping the Crystal Gems with your fight," said Trascovich.

Silence filled the room on both ends of the call. Trascovich knows he is promising support that may not come, but he has already started his campaign for supporting the Crystal Gems. He could only hear muffled speech on the other end of the stone, and it was in their original language.

"I will do what I can to help you, and if you survive the invasion send as much help as you can… I need to admit this revolt is costing us dearly," said Rose Quartz.

"War has a high price tag. That is why it should only be a last result, but from what I have heard about Homeworld, revolting was your only option… I do have some advice, but it may sound strange," said Trascovich.

"What is your advice?"

"Get the support of higher up gems convince them that the Homeworld structure is flawed, and that they would benefit more from following your lead," said Trascovich. This stunned Rose Quartz.

"Why do we need support from higher up gems? They are the ones that are ordering us to harm the planet," said Rose Quartz.

"This is from human history. Revolts normally die on the vine, if the elites don't join. With the support of elites, revolts have a higher chance of succeeding and becoming revolutions," said Trascovich.

"I will keep that in mind…, we will get in touch with you as soon as we have the information you seek," said Rose Quartz.

"Thank you," said Trascovich. The wailing stone returns to static.

"Alright, I want people to be stationed here 24/7, and when we she contacts us again I want to be told as soon as possible. And everyone good job we have just discovered the means of faster than light communication," said Trascovich as he steps away from the wailing stone.

A week later

Trascovich is on Earth with Bargus, and they are going to meet the mega computer housed in the largest military complex on Earth. They are walking in in a sterile grey hall with their uniforms on. This is three weeks before Trascovich's wedding, and he is getting many things in motion trying to borrow time for humanity. Rose Quartz has not contacted him back yet, but he figured it would take a while for her to get the information he needs.

"So Trasco how are you and your better half?" asked Bargus.

"She and I are a bit stressed with the wedding coming up, and with me trying to setup defenses to fight an intergalactic empire," said Trascovich.

"Fair point. So how is looking for HELOS coming?"

"We have only been able to find small outposts which contain heavily coded messages which the military is trying to crack," said Trascovich.

"Has your sister been helping us?" asked Bargus.

"A bit, but nothing too… significant. I think she is still a bit unease about SEPRO," said Trascovich a bit concerned.

"How are the gems doing? I especially want to know about Nephie," said Bargus.

"They are doing fine… why do you want to know about Nephrite?" asked Trascovich with a puzzled look.

"Nephie is a damned good pilot, and I just want to know how she is improving," said Bargus trying to cover his feelings for her.

"Wait… Bargus, are you in love with a fucking rock?" asked Trascovich with a joking tone.

"No… maybe… she is an interesting woman alright," said Bargus. Trascovich burst out laughing. It was a good minute before he regained composure.

"God, I needed a good laugh, just head up back to Mars if you miss her so much. Anyway we are here," said Trascovich as they stood in front a door with a sign saying WATSON. Trascovich and Bargus show their id's and the security measure approve them to go in. After a minute of scanning, the doors open into a dark room. Trascovich and Bargus step into the room, and once both of them where in the room the door closed behind them. Server lights turned on and a giant screen turned on revealing a green line going across the middle. The lights in the room turned on revealing people working to maintain the servers. They were in the same military uniforms as Trascovich and Bargus.

"Lieutenant Colonel Trascovich and Flight Commander Bargus, it is a pleasure to meet you," said a robotic voice coming from the screen. Both Trascovich and Bargus saw the line on the screen move in a jagged pattern when the words were being spoken.

"Pleasure is ours WATSON, but our visit is not just for us to say hi. We need your help," said Trascovich.

"How may I assist you?" asked WATSON.

"We need you to run an astronomical model of how the solar system will look fifty years in the future," said Trascovich.

"Good call Trascovich, I wanted to run the model myself, but I need to wait for your orders. Give me twenty-four hours, and I should have the calculations you need to defend the Sol System. Now Trascovich there is something I need to let you know," said WATSON.

"What is it WATSON?" asked Trascovich.

"I am on the fence on whether or not we should get involved with the Crystal Gem cause. There are so many factors with positive and negative outcomes to consider that I have not formed a final decision on it. I will however will wish you luck Trascovich in trying to convince others to fight for the Crystal Gems," said WATSON.

"Thanks WATSON, I will do what I can. So are all of the other A.I.'s in the same boat as you are?" asked Trascovich.

"Yes, we have evaluated both sides of the argument, but both seem to benefit humanity equally. We can't decide on pure logic alone," said WATSON with a concerned tone in his voice.

"I bet you know about this saying, but just go with your guts WATSON. Go with what you feel is right," said Bargus.

"I will consider the advice. Thank you both for stopping by," said WATSON as the screen turned off. Trascovich and Bargus left the room.

Back on Mars

The Crystal Gems are going about their new routine in the military base. Jasper X and Amy are getting the result from the barrage of physicals they started doing since they arrived. The office is decorated with artifacts and memorabilia from the early days of human flight and pictures of the doctor with a rock star.

"Alright you two, after months of tests we have finally figured how to rank you two physically in our systems," said a doctor soldier.

"That is good to know. So what is your ranking system?" asked Jasper X.

"So our ranking system is called the S.P.E.C.I.A.L system and it is an acronym that lists the traits we measure in people,"

"What are our ranks?" asked Amy

"So for your purely physical qualities both of you rank 20 in Strength, 15 in Endurance, and 15 for Agility. Congratulations you two, you were more powerful than our old ranking systems," said the doctor.

"What do the ranks mean exactly?" asked Amy.

"So originally the max this system could go up to was ten which represented the absolute limits of human ability. A good example is for a Strength of ten, which means a person can lift about three times their body weight. Now it takes a lot of training and work to have a person to be that strong, but you two are naturally stronger than us so we had to raise our ranking cap. Hence why you have a twenty in Strength which corresponds to your max strength. For Endurance and Agility, you have fifteens. The reason for Endurance is that both of you can in fact survive without food and water, take more extreme temperatures, and take injuries that would cripple a person. Speeding bullets do hurt you, but it is the only sure fire way to fight against you. For Agility you two are faster than human, but not fast enough to dodge bullets. However, your mobility is quite impressive," said the Doctor.

"That is quite a lot to take in," said Amy.

"So… why do you need to have information like this when you know your weapons are effective against us?" asked Jasper X.

"Never underestimate your enemy, and the best way to not underestimate your enemy is to have knowledge about your enemy. Knowledge can mean the difference between life and death for frontline soldiers. The more information a soldier has, the more likely the soldier will be able to survive," said the Doctor.

"That makes sense… we were made to be warriors, and our only purpose was to fight and follow orders," said Jasper X in a sad tone.

"Wow… so you can answer this question later, but how are gems made?" asked the Doctor.

"We are created in place that can be best described as a Kindergarten. We are grown in a sense. I don't know the details, but we are injected into the soil of a planet. We drain the energy from the ground leave that spot dead. It takes us centuries to form, but once we form we have the knowledge we need to function by Homeworld standards," said Amy.

"Wow… that sounds rough… not being able to choose what you want to do for your future," said the Doctor concerned.

"We can learn, and Rose Quartz has showed as that we can be more than our original design," said Jasper X.

"This Rose Quartz helped you learn about free will… sorry, I got lost in thought. You two are done for today. You will be going through psychological evaluations in the coming weeks, so this will be the last you see of me for a while," said the Doctor.

"I really like you though Doctor De Mayo," said Amy.

"Please call me Andy, and don't worry I will have you back once you have been fully registered," said Dr. De Mayo.

"I am looking forward to it then," said Jasper X as she and Amy start to walk out of Dr. De Mayo's office.

"Might I suggest you two change your style everyone once in a while. It might help you fit in with humans better since we can't have our skin be our clothes," said Dr. De Mayo jokingly. The two gems giggle a bit as they walk out.

In a different part of the base

The Peridot is working diligently at her spot in the engineering bay of the base. Her corner is stark compared to her new colleagues' work spaces. They have pictures of their families, items of importance, and some trinkets of distraction. She is so focused on her work that she does not notice when someone walks up behind her.

"Hey how long have you been working?" asked the person. The Peridot jumps with surprise at the tenor voice.

"Don't sneak up on me like that Jim," said The Peridot as she recovered from the shock.

"Sorry… so how long have you been working?" asked Jim.

"I have been working for weeks straight on how to combine our ships light drive with your technology," said the Peridot.

"I have been working on that too, and I am going to be honest some of the gem design choices are a bit weird. By weird I mean that your ships should be falling apart due to the stress of light speed travel," said Jim.

"I have also noticed weird choices in your design," said the Peridot snidely.

"What are they?" asked Jim, but he kinda already knows what she is going to answer with.

"Everything! Your designs are disorganized, and the materials you use are weird as well. Gold, Platinum, Uranium, Plutonium… I have never dealt with these material before in my existence. And when I wanted to complain to the person who help form these design I find out that he is dead," said the Peridot frustrated.

"Okay you have been going at this for too long you need a break. Get your mind off work if you are just hitting dead ends," said Jim.

"But I need to figure this out if you are going to have a chance against Homeworld," said the Peridot who is now distraught.

"Hey, it is going to be fine we have at least fifty years to work this out. You can afford a break," said Jim.

"But what am I going to do… Jasper and Amethyst are doing their physicals, Nephrite A is learning how to pilot your starships, and I don't trust her crew… they seem to be planning something that might hinder our progress," said the Peridot.

"I have a feeling the security team is keeping a close eye on them. How about you hang with us after our shift is over?" asked Jim.

"I don't know…" said the Peridot concerned.

"It will be fine, and people want to get to know you more. We know you are good at what you do, but that is about it really," said Jim being honest with the Peridot.

"Alright… maybe sometime away from these designs will do me some good," said the Peridot.

"Nice, so after I get done we can clock out, and I will take you to where we are going to meet my friends," said Jim with excitement.

Later that evening

The Peridot and Jim are walking towards the soldiers' quarters, and Jim is telling Peridot about his friends.

"Ron is a soldier, and he is working on being a sniper,"

"Is he like Trascovich?" asked the Peridot

"Peri… do you mind if I call you Peri?" asked Jim

"No, you may call me Peri," said the Peridot a bit confused.

"Well, Trascovich is one of a kind," said Jim

"What do you mean by that?" asked Peri.

"I mean his genetics where just right to make him a super soldier, and it may take thousands of years for the gene dice to make another him," said Jim.

"Humans don't have control over how they form?" asked Peri.

"It is a very delicate process that we don't really want to mess up too much. We are willing to remove genes that will be detriments to an individual's later in life, but controlling all aspects of a person's formation sounds wrong," said Jim

"Well… that does explain the variety in humans," said Peri.

"Is there variety amongst the gem race?" asked Jim.

"There is a vast variety of gem types, but there is not much difference between our overall look amongst gem types. You tend to blend in Homeworld society," said Peri with a sad tone.

"Well here you stand out. Anyway we are at the rec room. I hope everyone got things set up," said Jim. He swipes his I.D. card and the door opens up to the rec room. The rest of the soldier scientists are sitting on couches, and they notice Peri and Jim walking in.

"There you are Jim. You're late," said a male engineer.

"I know Ron, but I brought a guest with me," said Jim showing Peri to the group.

"Oh hey, welcome to the rec room," said Ron looking at the two.

"Um… Hi, so what do you do here exactly?" asked Peri confused.

"We relax here from a hard day's work. We play games and watch movies," said Ron.

"Speaking of games did you guys bring _Mario Kart_?" asked a female engineer.

"We did Jess. I also got a version with everything unlocked, and I did not play it before hand," said Ron.

"Good, so this time it will be a fair race," said Jess.

"What is _Mario Kart_?" asked Peri.

"Well it is a video game based around racing with iconic characters created over two hundred years ago," said Jim.

"Okay… Um how does one work this video game?" asked Peri.

"Play is the better way to describe it, but basically you where this helmet and glove and you sit on the couch since the game you sit in a vehicle," said Ron.

"I think this might be more of a show than tell," said Jess.

"Yeah… You are right, so Peri just put these on and have a seat in a chair," said Jim hand her a helmet and gloves that would fit her.

"Well… this is going to be interesting," said Peri as she put on the helmet and gloves. She is encompassed in darkness, and she hears the others talking. After a few minutes, she saw a red logo that said _Nintendo_. After a few moments a male voice with an accent that Peri never heard before spoke

"Welcome to Mario Kart: Infinite!"

The screen brightened up revealing the logo for the game and a many characters gathered underneath it in carts and racing gear.

"So Peri this a title screen once you are ready we can pick what type of race we want to do," said Jim.

"Oh… yeah I am ready," said Peri trying to comprehend the purpose behind this 'video game'. There is a bright transition to a menu screen.

"Okay we are picking local multiplayer with no computers since we want to test our skills," said Ron.

"Yeah right, you just wait for the blue shell to peg us with at the last minute," said Jess.

"What…?" asked Peri.

"Hold on guys she needs to go through the tutorial stage," said Jim.

"Okay, Peri look at the tutorial option and move your hand to where a cursor is over the option," said Ron. Peri doubted the advice since she could not see her hands. She did move her arm, and the cursor appeared in front of her. She slowly moved the cursor to the tutorial. So after several minutes of Peri experimenting with the game, breaking down due to failure, and comforting from the rest of the group. She got a hang of the game, but now it is time for it to truly begin.

"Okay everyone, I have been cooking up a nice challenging cup for us to do," said Ron devilishly.

"What's the name of the cup?" asked Jim.

"The Rainbow Cup," said Ron.

"No… you son of a bitch. Did you?" asked Jess.

"Yep it is all Rainbow Road from different titles including one of my own creation," said Ron with a grin.

"Whelp, we are going to die," said Jim.

"What?!" screamed Peri

"Figure of speak. It means this is not going to be fun," said Jim. And it was not very fun for the first few rounds, but on the final track everyone got prepared for what is to come. Even Peri was preparing for she had a chance to win since everyone was tided point wise. When the final course appeared, everyone could see the nightmare Ron had created. A nine-part track with no guard rails, countless loops, multiple anti-gravity sections, and a single cart straight stretch to the finish line.

"Ron, you are an asshole," said Jess with an annoyed tone.

"Save it for the race," said Ron as the green light shown. The final race was on. Peri managed to maneuver her way to first after taking advantage of people falling off and with lucky items. It was not easy maintaining first, but she managed to get a lead. She finally reached the straight away with two items: a super horn and a mushroom. She managed to balance herself on the straight away. She turned her head to see the back ground which was a beautiful render of a spiral galaxy. She stopped and stared at the galaxy. The rest of the group caught up with her, but they realized something is wrong.

"Peri, you okay?" asked Jim concerned.

"What is the point of this?" asked Peri.

"What do you mean?" asked Jim.

"What I mean is… Why put so much effort into creating something like this when it does not contribute to anything important?" asked Peri.

"To put it simply, because we can," said Jim.

"What…"

"Humanity made this game for many reasons, but truly the only reason games exist is because we have the freedom to express ourselves and push our society further than can be imagined. Video games are a part of that push," said Jim. Peri pondered his statement for a minute. She was trying to reconcile what she has been told by Homeworld and what she sees here. A society that can function and give its members the freedom to pursue happiness.

"Hey Peri, you okay," asked Jim.

"Yeah, I am fine just thinking about the look on your face when I win!" yelled Peridot when she speeds off down the narrow road.

"Oh no you don't!" yelled Ron as he launched a blue shell to stop her. The shell rockets forward knocking Jess and Jim off the road. Peri knew the shell was about to peg her so she timed it to where see used the super horn. The horn destroyed the shell, and she used the mushroom to rocket herself to victory.

"Oh damn it, Nice driving Peri," said Jim.

"Why thank you. I am great at whatever I do," said Peri.

"Says the little lady that got herself stuck in a toilet," said Jim.

"You will pay for that," said Peri.

"How?" asked Jim.

"By losing to me!" Yelled Peri as she started the whole cup again.

"Guys, I have created a monster," said Jim.

"Yep and we need to stop her before she forces us to race again," said Jess.

"Oh, are you giving up?" asked Peri with a smirk. The group raced for a few more hours until the humans called quits letting Peri win. Peri after having experienced video games decides to head back to work to see if she can combine the tech. She now knows about the staying power of music as she ums a variant of the Rainbow Road theme as she walks back.

Trascovich's Room

Trascovich is working on a debate platform when he gets a secured e-mail from WATSON. Trascovich opens it and reads the contents.

"Wow, those bitches have no idea what they are getting into," said Trascovich with a smirk.

Apology

I am sorry how late this is, and wish to get back on a regular schedule now that I graduated from college.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone, so I am here to give you a warning... This chapter will be dark. It will deal with lobotomy. Now with that out of the way feel free to PM me and leave constructive reviews. I really want to know what everyone thinks about the story in general.**

* * *

Chapter 5:

Blood and Dust

Trascovich has awaken to inform General Maheswaran about the plan he was forming to stop the invasion. He enters the appropriate communication code and waited for the call to connect. After a few minutes, the call connects.

"Trascovich, how is the plan to protect the Earth coming along?" asked General Maheswaran.

"It is going very well. I discovered that the gas giant planets will line up with Earth and Mars, and the planets will be right in Homeworld's path to the Earth," said Trascovich with a bit of an excited tone.

"What is your overall plan then?" asked General Maheswaran.

"My plan is to set up mines along their projected path starting from Neptune and going to Jupiter," said Trascovich. He waited for a response from General Maheswaran, but she was thinking about the logistics of filling an area that size full of mines.

"What do you suppose we use to make the mines?" asked General Maheswaran concerned.

"I propose we use the old nuclear material to make the mines," said Trascovich.

"You are aware that the physics of nuclear bombs change when they are in space?" asked General Maheswaran.

"I am aware. That is why I am proposing we design the mines to where once they blow up they launch thousands of armor piercing rounds into the area," said Trascovich.

"… I am starting to see where you are going with your idea, but before I can approve it, you will need to test the material the ships are made out of. Find their weakness," said General Maheswaran.

"Understood ma'am," said Trascovich. General Maheswaran was about to disconnect when an emergency call came for Trascovich.

"Sir, the two Nephrites have attempted an escape plan," said the soldier on the other end.

"I am assuming they are contained… Is anyone hurt?" asked Trascovich sternly.

"None of the personal is injured. The Nephrites did capture the Peridot who has been working on the tech conversions. We are currently trying to negotiate for her release," said the soldier.

"Are the two Nephrites in a room with a window?" asked Trascovich trying to get an understanding of the surroundings.

"Yes sir,"

"Do our soldiers have a view on how they are containing the Peridot?"

"One of the Nephrites is holding the Peridot's gemstone,"

"Does everyone have their air tanks on?"

"Yes sir,"

"Have two snipers set up in the opposite building and patch me in. I am going to get a full view of the situation," said Trascovich.

"Yes sir, patching you through," said the soldier. Trascovich is given a body camera view to the situation, and he can see that the Nephrites have their backs to the window. Trascovich now can hear what the two Nephrites are demanding.

"We want our ship back and safe passage out of the Sol. System!" yelled the Nephrite holding the Peridot.

"You know full well we can't do that," said the police negotiator.

"And why not!? You have the traitors. They would love to just tell all of our secrets to you. You filthy organics!" yelled the other Nephrite. The MP negotiator is agitated, but he is trying to keep calm. He notices in the building next to him two snipers are setting up in the room across from them. Trascovich sees this from the body camera. He gets another emergency call which he answers.

"Sir, this is Sargent Richard Molvon. I am one of the snipers. We are setup and ready to fire. We just need your orders," said Richard. Trascovich noticed that the soldier sounded more concerned than normal.

"Are you okay soldier?" asked Trascovich.

"I am a friend of the Peridot who is being held hostage," said Richard.

"Will your emotions get in the way of your shot?" asked Trascovich.

"No sir, I will do what I can to keep my friend safe," said Richard.

"Good to hear. Stand by for orders," said Trascovich. He returns his attention to the soldier who first called him.

"Is the negotiator dressed in a uniform that can handle a sudden drop in atmospheric pressure?" asked Trascovich.

"Yes sir, he is," said the soldier.

"Okay tell him not to move. The snipers have lined up their shots. I am about to give the order," said Trascovich.

"Understood sir," said the soldier. Trascovich returned to Richard.

"Okay soldier, the gemstones for the Nephrites are very large, and they are where their eyes would be so a headshot will be fatal. I have experienced that any major damage to their form can cause them to retreat into their gem. It is practically a surrender," said Trascovich.

"Understood sir," said Richard.

"Fire!" said Trascovich. Both snipers fire off their shots. The bullets break their glass which causes their room to lose pressure, but they were prepared for that. The bullets travel across the gap and shattered the window. The Nephrites turned to the noise, but it was far too late as the bullets punched through their chests. They did not immediately retreat into their e gemstones like Trascovich saw earlier. The Nephrites bleed light for a minute as they screamed in extreme pain. They final retreated into their gemstones which lead to the letting go of the Peridot, but because of the rush of air from the broken window the gemstone where falling towards the window. Everyone held their breath at that moment fearing what will happen, but it was the negotiator that acted. He lounged towards the gemstones, and he attempted to grab them. He could only get the Peridot's gemstone. The two Nephrites where ejected out the window and to a fifty story fall. Trascovich broke the silence.

"Soldiers, we did what we could. We rescued the hostage. We stopped the kidnappers…"

"It doesn't feel like much of a victory sir," said Richard.

"I know soldier… I will take full responsibility for this," said Trascovich.

"Trascovich you did what you could. You could not have known that the gems would have fallen out the window," said General Maheswaran.

"Ma'am?" asked Trascovich.

"Let me finish up here Trascovich. You look like you need to get some fresh air, and that is an order," said General Maheswaran.

"Yes ma'am," said Trascovich as he left the call. He got up and stepped out onto a balcony to get some fresh Earth air. After a few minutes he got another call, and it was from an unknown number.

"Hello, who is this?" asked Trascovich.

"It is Jessica. Matt, I discovered something about my mom that has changed everything I have ever known," said Jessica.

"What did you find out?" Trascovich asked intrigued.

"She was a SEPRO spy, and she had called SEPRO to get us. She wanted us to be members of SEPRO," Jessica said with a solemn tone.

"So what are you going to do now?" Trascovich asked.

"I am going to shutdown HELOS, and Matt, I need your help," said Jessica.

"Jessica… You need to co-operate with SEPRO, and that is going to be my condition for helping you," said Trascovich sternly

"…Fine, I will inform SEPRO of the location of the HELOS base, but I will be requesting for your assistance," said Jessica.

"Okay… Thank you Jessica. I appreciate you doing that… I can't risk my rank especially since we only have fifty years to set up defenses," said Trascovich.

"I know…" said Jessica as the phone hang up.

"Honey… what is going on?" said Racheal tired. She is in a night gown and was asleep.

"A lot has happened which I will tell you about in the morning," said Trascovich yawning.

"That is fine just come back to bed… I am getting cold," she said as sexy as a tired woman can.

"On my way," said Trascovich getting up to join his wife.

Two days later

"So Jessica we are about to infiltrate the HELOS main station. How are we going to do this?" asked Trascovich.

"You will be a distraction while I get control of the mainframe," said Jessica as their shuttle approached the base which looks like an early space station from the early 2000's.

"Can you at least keep it from where I don't get over run?" asked Trascovich readying his space uniform.

"I can. We are docking, so are you ready?" asked Jessica.

"Born ready," said Trascovich holding his automatic shotgun.

"Okay… Now!" shouted Jessica as she opened the shuttle to a group of HELOS guards. Trascovich fired first with a precise aim that killed three guards with a head shot. Trascovich traveled down the main hall carefully. He avoided exposing himself, and used his gun as a lead before taking turns.

"What the hell! Jessica went rouge and she brought Trascovich onto this station," said a guard in shock.

"We are so fucked…" said another guard. Trascovich heard this coming from around a corner, so he aimed his gun and fired ricochet bullets. He heard the two guys scream in pain as the bullets pierced their bodies. Trascovich turned the corner and saw them bleeding out. Trascovich got a call from Jessica.

"I am about to turn off gravity. Are you ready?"

"Yes turn it off. Pip activate the magnets," said Trascovich. His boots glowed with electric energy. The two guards and their blood started to float due to micro-gravity.

"Okay, so keep going down the hall. You will reach the R and D section of the station. That is where Dr. Wrathford is right now, and I have kept him contained there," said Jessica.

"How well guarded is he?" asked Trascovich finishing off the guards.

"There are ten guards with him and some scientists, but I have already disconnected the main quarters. That mean there should be less guards to deal with," said Jessica.

"Okay then," said Trascovich as he kept moving. He dealt with guards quickly and with extreme prejudice as he reached the R and D section. He had the advantage over the guards who were fighting micro-gravity. There was one guard who had his back to Trascovich, so he grabbed him and threw him against the wall. Trascovich executed him with a point blank head shot. After five minutes, he reached the R and D section.

"Okay be careful. The R and D section is the biggest section of the station so the guards will have cover," said Jessica.

"Understood," said Trascovich stood to the side of the door. The door opened, but he did not step in. Trascovich looked inside and saw the lights where off.

"Jessica can you direct power to the R and D?" asked Trascovich.

"I am trying, but I don't have full control of that room," said Jessica. Trascovich knew that was a death trap, but he was able to see a desk he could use as cover. He dashed in and got behind the desk as the doors closed on him. The lights came on revealing the section, and it was will with cryo-storage containers. Trascovich did not see any guards though, which he figured was a bad sign.

"Hello, Colonel Trascovich, or should I say… son," said a male voice that sent shivers up Trascovich's spine.

"Dr. Wrathford, I presume?" asked Trascovich with a serious tone.

"Guilty,"

"So where are your guards?"

"They are not here… I knew there would be no point in me trying to stop you… I made you to be a brutal soldier, and you did not disappoint,"

"So are you surrendering?"

"No, surrender implies that I will be willing to subject myself to SEPRO. No, I know I am going to die, so I am going to make this interesting,"

"How…?"

"You notice all of these containers… well they are fill with your brothers and sisters Trascovich,"

"What!?"

"Well they contain the eggs and sperm that will make your brothers and sisters. When you kill me Trascovich… You will kill all of them," said Dr. Wrathford with an evil laugh.

"Damn it..." said Trascovich seemingly out of options. He then realized he can do something, but it would be very brutal.

"Pip activate JET," said Trascovich.

"Yes sir," said Pip. Time slowed for Trascovich as he got up and rushed towards the bad doctor. Before Dr. Wrathford could react Trascovich delivered an uppercut to his jaw which knocked him out immediately. Time returned to normal after a minute, and that was when he started his dark plan.

"Okay Matt I can now get in touch with you, and… are you okay?" asked Jessica.

"I am fine, but I need to do something grisly," said Trascovich as he looked for something that will work like an ice pick. Trascovich found a scalpel, but before he used it, he tied down the doctor with some Velcro straps he found. Trascovich then began to perform a lobotomy on the doctor. The doctor awoke and screamed in pain, but Trascovich did not care as continued his dark deed. Blood splattered onto Trascovich as he finally reached the brain, and Trascovich did a quick cut and the doctor stopped moving and screaming… He was now brain dead.

"Trascovich… what have you done?" asked Jessica in shock at what he did.

"I… I…," Trascovich could not believe he did it… He lobotomized a man…

"Trascovich… I am sending out a signal to SEPRO, and I am sorry to tell you this, but this was my last mission," said Jessica

"What do you mean? ..." asked Trascovich still shaken at what he had done.

"I am unstable, and my body is starting to fail me… HELOS failed to account for the consequences for messing with the human genome, but SEPRO managed to find a way to stabilize you. I think it was that fact alone that enraged the doctor," said Jessica with a half-hearted laugh.

"Wait isn't there a way to reverse it?" asked Trascovich.

"There is no way to reverse it at my stage. Matt, I am going to do something for you… you may hate me for it, but in the long run it will help you," said Jessica with a somber tone.

"What are you going to do?" asked Trascovich

"I am going to end HELOS…" said Jessica.

"How…?" asked Trascovich.

"All HELOS member have pacemakers that are connected to the mainframe… I can shut all of them down," said Jessica.

"Wait… no don't do it!" yelled Trascovich.

"There are one million members, and HELOS will only get in the way of the defense… I won't kill the doctor… Trascovich thank you for being a good brother… Be a brother and guide for our siblings on ice… Good bye," said Jessica as the comm went silent. Trascovich has just committed a horrific crime, and lost his biological sister who has just committed a successful genocide. The only thing Trascovich can do is cry, and wait for SEPRO. Despite everything Trascovich can do… He is still human who has blood and dust on his hands.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6:

Consequences

A day after the HELOS catastrophy Trascovich has been brought forth before the Generals in a court martial for his actions during his mission.

"Lieutenant Colonel Trascovich, you are brought before us for the war crimes you committed during your mission. You have one count of prisoner abuse, one count of advanced torture, and one count of being an accessory to successful genocide," said General Maheswaran.

"Do you have anything to say to defend yourself Colonel?" asked General Gaschler sternly.

"I cannot defend the crimes I did against Dr. Wrathford… I let my anger get the best of me, but I can say that I was unaware of Jessica's plan. When I was told about the plan, it was too late for me to stop her…" said Trascovich looking down at the ground ashamed.

"Colonel… would you have stopped her if you were able to?" asked General Emem.

"Yes… I would have, but I know my word alone is not enough in this moment… I am ready for any punishment you are willing to give to me for all the crimes stated," said Trascovich with a defeated tone.

"We will deliberate on your crimes and come to a final choice on your fate Trascovich. Guards return him to his cell," said General Maheswaran trying to keep a serious face, but she is sad to see Trascovich treated like this. The guards come and secure Trascovich as they felt the court room. After a while of walking the group arrive to Trascovich's cell, and they put him in. One of the guard speaks up.

"Hey… Trascovich, you are still a damn fine soldier in my book," said the guard as he locked the door.

"Thanks," said Trascovich as he laid in his bed contemplating on what he did, and what Jessica had done. Hours pass until a guard came and presented Trascovich a phone. On the phone is General Maheswaran.

"Trascovich, the generals have a deal for you." Trascovich just looks at her with a mix of guilt and curiosity.

"We are going to put you on the Black List… You are still too valuable for us to discharge you and arrest you… We also know you would not have committed the genocide, but you did lose control when you maimed Dr. Wrathford. You are also barred from further combat service, but that no longer matters," said General Maheswaran.

"… Will Racheal and the rest of my squad be put on the need to be put on the Black List?" asked Trascovich concerned.

"Racheal will need to be put on the list, but your crew will not need to be put on the list. Commander Bargus can be in charge of the research from this point on. Trascovich, we need you to really focus on forming the strategy that will defend Earth. Other people can come up with a plan to defend Earth, but you are special in the fact that you are willing to go further in both action and thought. You are willing to make yourself a scapegoat, if it meant give others a chance. You saved people who do not even exist yet, and we recognize that. So what do you say Trascovich?" asked General Maheswaran.

"… No much of a question when the option is clear. I am in," said Trascovich getting up.

Later that Day

The gems have gathered in a new room, since the old room was still being repaired. They are consoling Nephrite for the loss of her crew.

"Why did they… shatter them," said Nephrite as she was crying over the shards of the two Nephrites.

"Hey… you saw the report. Trascovich and Rick did their best to not shatter them… This is what humans call an accident," said Peri trying to defend her friend who took one of the shots that lead to the shattering of the Nephrites.

"Peri, we know you spent time with Rick, and we all have spent time with everyone involved with this event. The problem is that I knew my crew longer than humans. Before coming here, I knew what was going to happen day after day… No surprises. Now, I don't know what the next day brings… especially when the days are so short," said Nephrite as she starts to have a mental break down.

"It will be okay Nephrite… I am still getting use to the chaos of human culture. I know it is still hard to believe, but I really do think it was an accident," said Jasper X.

"But on Homeworld even accidents are punished, yet here… accidents are just forgotten," said Nephrite as she starts to compare her old stable life to her chaotic new life. There is a knock on the door, and all of the gems jump in surprise.

"Oh coming," said Amy as she got up to open the door. She opens the door to see a soldier in uniform holding flowers.

"We are sorry for your loss, and the military sends their condolences," said the soldier as he handed the flowers to Amy.

"Um… Thank you?" said Amy in confusion.

"Don't worry they are plastic… Traditionally, they would be real flowers, but we figured it would be better if the flower were not real. No need to water them," said the soldier.

"…How common is it for a human to be shattered?" asked Amy confused.

"…Um we just call it death, and someone is lucky to reach 110 years old," said the soldier.

"Oh… sorry I keep forgetting that… Thank you for the flowers. They are interesting," said Amy as she shut the door. As she went to put the flowers down she noticed a note in the flowers. She read the note.

"I am sorry that I will not be around to talk to you anymore. I made a grave mistake that has cost the lives of one million and three people, and I need to atone for it. I am including the loss of Nephrites crew in that number. I will probably never see you again, but I will be receiving updates about you. Bargus will be filling in my position as leader for the research operation. I am sorry that I cannot give more details, but it is classified. I just wanted to make my apology, and let you know that this is good bye.

Trascovich"

Amy showed the message to all of the gems who were taken aback by this.

"Trascovich… what did you do?" asked Jasper X as the letter falls out of her hand.

A week later

Trascovich and Racheal got married in a very private wedding due to his Black List status, and both of them were moved to a shadow facility. The location of the facility is unknown to the public, but Trascovich could tell it was at the old area 51 base. When they landed guards with black uniforms came to escort the both of them to their new living quarters. They traveled miles underground and through a labyrinth of concrete and steel, until they reached their new room.

"Colonel Trascovich, you will be given control of the facility at 0600 hours," said one of the guards.

"Wait, why would I get control of this facility?" asked Trascovich confused.

"You are the highest ranked officer in this facility, also General Maheswaran wanted me to tell you that depending on your results here, you might be forgiven, and you can continue to go up the ranks," said the guard saluting. Trascovich salutes back, and turns to his wife. The guard ends the salute and walks away.

"Well this is bigger than I was expecting…," said Racheal trying to look on the positive side. The compartment was very nice and pretty spacious, but Trascovich still could only feel guilt.

"I am sorry… If I had more control over myself, we may not be here," said Trascovich looking down at the ground.

"Honey, you let your anger get the best of you, but you used your anger to save future people. I also know you would have not allowed Jessica to commit her crime if you had the power to do so," said Racheal as she hugged him.

"That is the problem. I let myself be locked in a room that put me face to face with my bastard of a father. That let my sister make her choice on the fate of HELOS… Yes, they were racist, yes, they were terrorists, but they needed to be brought to justice. I know I killed the guards, but there is a difference in killing people who could fight back. Jessica… took it to far," said Trascovich as he started to break down. Trascovich started to cry now that he was in a truly private space with the person he trusts the most.

"Racheal, I know I am a bad person…, but I try to use my negative traits to do good for everyone… I just don't know if I can ever forgive myself for letting so many die when it was my job to protect everyone," said Trascovich calming down.

"You did what you could… You can't control what others do. Yes, what you did to Dr. Wrathford was grizzly, but you did it to save lives. I saw some of your training videos honey… I saw you maim enemies to the point that they could not be recognized as people. Being honest I am sometimes scared of you. Whenever I start to get scared of you, I think back to how gentle you treat me. I have learned that you are only a threat to those who do harm to you first. You are never the first shot, but you are always the last shot," said Racheal hugging Trascovich. She is now shedding some tears as a new chapter begins for them.

Back on Mars

Peri and Gombasra are testing Trascovich's idea of using nuclear radiation on gem ships. They have a piece of the ship set up in the test chamber.

"What are we testing again exactly?" asked Peri in a bit of an annoyed tone.

"We are testing to see whether your ships armor can handle nuclear radiation, so that we might have a chance to defend ourselves," said Gombasra in response to her sarcastic question.

"We are able to block out radiation found in space. I really don't think nuclear radiation can break through our ships hulls," said Peri.

"Well, it is worth testing. Is the room ready?" asked Gombasra over a speaker system. The soldier saluted to where Gombasra could see them. He nods and the soldiers leave the test chamber. Gombasra started up the test by revealing radiation to the ship piece, and it would seem that Peri was right the radiation had no effect on it.

"Ha, told you," said Peri.

"Well we are under 1000 rads. We just need to go further," said Gombasra as he raised the rads in the chamber. As the number started to climb into the 5000 rad range the piece started to crack. Gombasra and Peri leaned forward to watch as the piece started to go through a catastrophic failure. The piece started to splinter and large gashes formed in the piece as if it was trying to tear itself apart. After a minute the piece exploded in the chamber leaving nothing but shards. Gombasra stopped the rad flow and turned on the cleaning program, and Peri just sat there realizing that humanity has a real chance to defeat Homeworld.

"I don't know what happened… it is like that radiation broke down the vary makeup of the hull," said Peri still in shock.

"It essentially did… the radiation launched particles fast enough to break the molecular bonds of the hull. With the weakening of the bonds the internal stress of the crystalline structure broke the piece, and in such a way that would be considered catastrophic," said Gombasra.

"It is funny really," said Peri with a chuckle.

"What is?" asked Gombasra.

"How we need organic materials to make ourselves better, and how you need inorganic materials to make yourselves better," said Peri.

"That is a bit ironic," said Gombasra. The chamber was cleared and the test results were gathered and sent to Bargus and secretly to Trascovich who is sleeping in his new home and prison.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

New Home

Trascovich wakes up at 5:00 am to getting ready for his meeting with the commanding officer of the facility. He showers and dresses in his uniform. He has a protein bar on his way out, but before he leaves he kisses his sleeping wife on the cheek. Trascovich walks out of his apartment to see a soldier salute him.

"Morning sir, are you ready to meant the Commander?" asked the soldier.

"I am," said Trascovich as he saluted. The guard stopped saluting and got into a small transport vehicle.

"We will need to use this to reach the Commander," said the soldier.

"Okay…this place must be massive," said Trascovich kinda surprised.

"It needs to be sir. We are in charge of all of the dark work for SEPRO," said the soldier.

"Right so has this complex started any research into fighting against the invasion coming?" asked Trascovich.

"We have sir, but I have been ordered to bring you straight to the Commander," said the soldier as he drove Trascovich to the commander's office. After about forty minutes, they arrive to the administrative section of the base. The guard parked the vehicle in a spot next to similar vehicles, and he escorted Trascovich to an elevator. The door opened and the two men walked into the elevator. The guard help up his comm with his I.D. screen on it. A quick scan occurred, and a robot female voice spoke.  
"Two to the administrator level,"

The elevator closed and it started rising at a fast pace. After a few minutes the elevator reached its destination, and the doors open to a reception area with a soldier working at the desk.

"Colonel Trascovich, the commander has been expecting you," said the soldier behind the desk with a female voice. The doors open, and Trascovich walk into the office.

"Welcome Colonel, I am Commander Elise Granger," said Elise who was dressed similarly to Trascovich, but she seemed to be less organized. Trascovich noticed that she was about his age and that she looks pretty good.

"Commander," said Trascovich as he salutes.

"At ease Colonel. We don't need to be formal, so you are here to take my job," said Elise.

"Straight to the point…, yes I was ordered here by General Maheswaran," said Trascovich.

"So, what did you do?" asked Elise bluntly.

"… Ma'am?"

"What crime did you commit to be sent to this hole?" asked Elise.

"I do not have to answer that. You have my files," said Trascovich not wanting to relive his mistake at the moment.

"I hate dealing with paper work. I am more of a hands on person, and we need to get you up to speed on how this place works," said Elise as she got up from her desk. The doors opened letting Trascovich and Elise leave the office. She takes the lead as Trascovich follows, but before they could enter the elevator, the soldier from the desk came up to him handing a device.

"This is from General Maheswaran. Elise has gone rouge. She has not been reporting her action or developments. Be careful," said the soldier with a whisper as she returned to her desk. Elise did not notice this, and Trascovich quickly concealed the device. They entered the elevator, and Elise scanned her I.D., which started the elevator ride back down. They stood there in silence on the ride back down, and it felt like an eternity before the cab stopped and the doors opened. Elise walked over to a transport vehicle and sat in the driver seat. Trascovich got into the passenger side, and Elise started the vehicle. They drove until they reached the R and D section.

"I know I am supposed to show you all of the base, but I figure you will want to see this," said Elise as she opens the doors to a large lab with many scientist working on various projects.

"Attention! Colonel Trascovich is here. We are going to show him what we have been working on," said Elise getting everyone's attention. The scientists stopped working and stood at attention at their stations. Elise lead Trascovich to the closest station, and the scientist presented their project.

"We have been working on a new melee weapon," said a scientist as they presented what looked like a gauntlet and brass knuckle combined with hydraulics.

"That looks like it can cause some damage," said Trascovich really looking at the weapon.

"We call it the Power Jack. It can amplify the force of a person's punch to be able to literally punch through anything," said the main scientist at the station.

"Excellent… I will do my own tests with it later, but overall a good design concept," said Trascovich. He walks away from the table, and he follows Elise to another group of scientist who set up a video display.

"We have made a breakthrough in ballistic design Colonel Trascovich," said the lead scientist.

"Well what is it?" asked Trascovich somewhat excited.

"Because of the miracle matter from the gem tech we have been able to develop a system that can fire a steel pellet at fifty percent of the speed of light," said the scientist.

"Holy shit… That can potentially pierce anything," said Trascovich genuinely surprised at the research.

"Would you like a demonstration?" asked the scientist.

"Yes, I would. I guess you have a test already set up?" asked Trascovich.

"We do," said the scientist signals to another group of scientist through a comm pad. The group on screen entered a safety chamber as a large gun-like device was lifted in to the chamber. The scientist pressed his pad, and the gun fired off a flash far larger than any gun in human history. The flash dissipated, and the gun was still functional.

"The only problem is that we don't have any material that can with stand the friction of being fired at that speed, so it will be awhile before we see any practical use," said the scientist.

"Hey, I am just impressed you made something like that gun," said Trascovich pretty excited about leading this group, but he remembers that it may too good to be true. The two then walk over to the last group.

"Colonel, I believe this item will be quite useful to us given the war that is about to come," said the main scientist in this group. He showed Trascovich a metallic exoskeleton for a person too wear.

"Wow… that is intimidating," said Trascovich.

"We designed this specifically to beat Gems," said a lower rank scientist. Elise shot an angry expression to the lower rank scientist. Trascovich noticed this, so he pushed the matter.

"How did you test this exoskeleton?" asked Trascovich sternly.

"Anyway let's move on… there is more to see," said Elise trying to change the subject.

"How did you test the exoskeleton?" said Trascovich moving closer to the scientists.

"We used it on a gem!" said another of the lower rank scientists. Trascovich realized how they were testing. The bubbled Peridot form the ship! Trascovich turned to Elise and grabbed her by the collar and lifted her up.

"Where are you keeping her?!"

"Put me down, so that I can show you," said Elise calm and cold. Trascovich let her down, but he was still very angry with her. Elise lead Trascovich out of the R and D wing, and they got into a transport vehicle. They sat in silence as Elise drove them to a different wing of the facility. After twenty minutes, they arrive at a door labeled Prison.

"We had to do some major renovations to this wing since no one really gets thrown in," said Elise.

"You can pat yourself on the back in one of these cells later. What you have done could undermine everything!" said Trascovich with a growl. Elise said nothing in response as she opened the door to a large room filled with cells and guards. At the far end of the room and in one of the cells sits the Peridot that Bargus fought back on the gem ship. She is just sitting there like…

"She is in shellshock! What did you do to her?!" yelled Trascovich for he knew the telltale signs.

"Why do you care so much for that rock?! That thing is our enemy, and we need to know everything about them to give us a chance," said Elise with a smirk.

"Why are you smiling?!" yelled Trascovich

"Because I will have my revenge. Guards ready!" yelled Elise. The guards pointed their rifles at Trascovich.

"Now get in the cell like a good soldier," said Elise with a patronizing tone as she opens the jail cell. Trascovich realized he was completely fucked, so he just clenched is fists and walked into the cell with the Peridot.

"Relax and have a seat. You will be here for a long while," said Elise with sadistic glee as she closed the cell door and locked it. She walked away and out of the room. Trascovich took a seat in the cell, but he was not idle. He got out the device he got from the soldier earlier, and he turned it on.

"Trascovich, good to see you are not injured," said General Maheswaran.

"Ma'am?" asked Trascovich with a mix of confusion and rage. The door to his cell opened up revealing on of the guards.

"Sorry about that… we had to play along until she left the room, but now we can act," said the guard.

"Before I do anything, I order you to tell me what you did to this woman?!" yelled Trascovich pointing at the shell shocked Peridot.

"… From what I have been told… we basically were order to regard her like she was a rock… so we did test on her strength, hardness, weakness… The tests however can be classified as torture… for her. She was put through test after test despite her begging, and eventually she snapped. I hated treating her like that, but orders were orders… until I and others found out that Elise was not ordered to do such testing. We were only ordered to contain her," said the soldier filling in Trascovich.

"So… Elise has legit gone rouge..., but why?" asked Trascovich.

"We don't know, but whatever the reason is it does not justify this,"

"How many people in this facility don't agree with her?" asked Trascovich now trying to evaluate the situation.

"I believe most of the facility are still loyal to SEPRO, but there is a size able faction loyal to Elise. They will more than likely be guarding her in the administration sector if you were to act," said the soldier.

"Is my wife okay?" asked Trascovich realizing how vulnerable she is in this situation.

"She is. We have her in the west guard quarters," said the soldier.

"Good… so I can't fight, if I don't have a weapon," said Trascovich with the smirk of vengeance. Trascovich was lead out of the cell to a row of lockers. The guard open one of the up to reveal the experimental armor and the experimental shotgun with large amounts of the ricochet bullets.

"Now this is more like it," said Trascovich as he changed into the armor. He noticed that Pip was not in the armor's mainframe.

"Hey, I had an A.I. in here. It was quite helpful on my previous missions," said Trascovich concerned.

"Hey I am still here," said Pip but it sounded muffled. Trascovich felt his pockets and realized that the screen was potentially Pip. He opened the armor to get the screen out of his pocket.

"Sup," said Pip as Trascovich held it to his face.

"Hey, good to see you… seems like you have had some upgrades," said Trascovich noticing the flow in his voice.

"I did, but now is not the time to catch up we have a job to do sir. Hook me up to the helmet, and I will transfer myself back into the suit," said Pip as Trascovich resealed his armor. A guard came and hooked up Pip to the armor, and he was transferred back into the armor.

"I can now really help you with aiming," said Pip as Trascovich saw the guards highlighted with percent markers above them.

"What does the percent mean?" asked Trascovich

"They represent the accuracy I can add to your aim," said Pip.

"Nice, but it is time for us to move," said Trascovich ready for a war. He and three guards moved towards the door, but before they could leave they heard a female scream.

"No… stay away…!" yelled the Peridot who was still in her cell, but she was looking a Trascovich.

"The rest of you… Redeem yourselves by protecting her with your life. Elise has a hatred for her, so she is still at risk. I know you were just following orders until help could arrive, but it still can't excuse this failure. So I expect you to fight for your lives for her!" yelled Trascovich.

"Sir, yes sir!" replied all of the soldiers in the room. Trascovich and his small squad left the prison and got into a transport vehicle. They drove to the administration section, but it would be a long drive. The group was silent with all the passengers readying their weapons for an attack. They suddenly heard another vehicle start to approach them from the front, and they say that those passengers were aiming their guns. Trascovich instinctively grabbed one of the guard's assault rifle and he aimed at the oncoming vehicle. He and Pip saw that one of them was loaded with grenades so Trascovich took his chance and used burst fire to hit the grenades. The bullets flew and one hit square on an explosive. The vehicle exploded sending shrapnel and body parts flying, but the driver dodged the explosion by entering any off shoot route.

"Sir… that was…" said the driver in shock at how efficient Trascovich was.

"Thank you soldier," said Trascovich as he handed the assault rifle back to the guard he borrowed it from. They got back on the main route, and they were half way there when they saw a barricade. A soldier stepped up but waved at them indicating he was on their side. The Driver pulled up to him.

"Sir, the radicals have set up machine gun nests on the further down the hallway. We can't get the administration section," said the Soldier that flagged them.

"What about the defenses?" asked Trascovich.

"They don't seem to be working which is a good thing… I hate to think about what it would be like with them on," said one of Trascovich's guards.

"Can we get them back on?" asked Trascovich.

"We can, but the terminal is in a service tunnel and will probably be guarded," said the soldier.

"Are the tunnels tight?" asked Trascovich.

"They are," said the soldier.

"Excellent… I am better in close quarters combat. Point me to the entrance," said Trascovich but before he could leave a scientist came up to him.

"Sir, my boss wanted you to have this," said the scientist kinda out of breath. Trascovich reached out and grabbed what looks like a gun modification from the scientist. He hooked it up to his gun, and he could hear an electrical charge build up.

"It will cause electricity to arch between the bullets forming in a sense an energy net. Anyone caught in the electricity will be shocked like a stun gun leaving them open to killing them," said the scientist.

"Once this is all over, you and I need to talk more but right now I have a job to do," said Trascovich as he was shown to the service tunnel door. He entered into a dark hallway and the only source of light was shut off with the closing of the door.

"Pip switch to night vision," said Trascovich softly. Pip complied with the hallway becoming more visible. Trascovich moved cautiously and quietly trying not to make a loud sound. After a few minutes he noticed a much brighter light coming from around a corner, and it seemed to be getting closer. Trascovich hugged the wall to his left and walked towards the corner and crouched. He heard that they were soldiers, and that they were loyal to Elise. Trascovich aimed his shotgun and fired around the corner which caused the light sources to immediately stop and the screams and gurgling of agony to start. Trascovich peeked around the corner and saw two soldiers down. He crouch-walked to them and look through their person and found a pistol with a silencer. Trascovich finished them off with a shot to the head with the pistol, and he kept moving. He eventually saw another light that was bending around a corner, and this time it was fixed. He peaked around the corner to see three guards who are on alert due to his firing of his gun. He did notice that there was only one light in the room. Trascovich carefully positioned his pistol and with Pip's help he made a clear shot at the light. The guard heard the muffled sound, but the light broke putting them in darkness. Trascovich used the chaos to move in and break the necks of all of the soldiers in the room. After dealing with the soldiers he noticed the glow of a computer screen with a warning sign flashing "Missing A.I."

"Trascovich, I can hook up with the computer and become the aiming system, but while I am doing that I need you stay in the room. There will probably be guards coming to try and stop us," said Pip.

"Gotcha," said Trascovich as he set up a position at the entrance to the other hallway. Pip started his up load and that was when more guards started to come, but Trascovich had the advantage. He saw them coming while they can't see him. He fired his shotgun and the soldiers were stopped dead. Not all of them where dead though and Trascovich figured it out.

"What the fuck! Where did the electricity come form!" yelled a soldier. Trascovich lunged around the corner and fired his remain rounds finishing off the squad. He noticed that there were ten guys in the hallway who were now dead. Trascovich returned to the screen, and saw that Pip was up loaded.

"Okay time to teach these radicals a lesson," said Pip. Trascovich heard heavy gun fire and screams coming from the other side of the walls.

"Okay done… the way forward should be clear now," said Pip as he reloaded back onto Trascovich's armor. They both returned to the vehicle, and saw the guards ready to go. Without saying a word, he hopped on, and they sped off. They reached the administration elevator which seemed intact, but the path was littered with bodies. Trascovich and the guards moved carefully to not disturb the bodies which took them a few minutes. They heard a snap, and a rush of a large object falling past them. Then a loud crash that came from below them. The group instantly knew the elevator was broken. They got the door open to confirm their fears.

"So stairs?" asked one of the guards.

"No good, there may be radicals left…, but I have an idea," said Trascovich.

"What is it?" said another guard.

"I will use the cable as a guide rope, and I will use my suits magnetism to walk up the shaft to the office floor. I can still aim my gun with one arm as I move up," said Trascovich as he reloaded his gun. Trascovich took a leap of faith and turned on the magnetism when he contacted the metal of the shaft. He stuck to it like he planned, and started climbing the shaft. It was a very long climb made more complicated by some radicals revealing themselves and firing at Trascovich. He would fire his shotgun causing their heads to turn to mist and the electricity would short the doors shutting them. After an hour of this he reached the top and say the door wide open. When he looked inside the room, he saw the soldier who give him Pip lying motionless on her desk. Trascovich entered the room really noticed a knife in her back with a note. "I have been waiting!" The door to the office opened revealing Elise sitting at her desk crying.

"So you finally came to finish the fucking job," said Elise barely coherent.

"What in the hell are you talking about?!" yelled Trascovich.

"You killed my brother and stole my rightful spot as a leader!" yelled Elise.

"Okay the brother I understand, but all of this because of rank!"

"Yes when I trained night and day to rise through the ranks, but learned that you shot up through the ranks faster than anyone should all because you fought rocks! I bet you are in league with them plotting with them to make me look bad."

"I trained too damn it! And I am sorry about your brother, but he should not have joined HELOS! And what!"

"Fuck you… my brother was not involved with their scheme or your creation. He did not deserve to die and in front of his sister as well."

"…"

"You finally shut up. You are murderous traitorous freak. I finally had access to your files and learn that you were engineer and born into a tube. You were designed to kill us and you joined forces with the Gems to do so."

"You have lost it soldier!"

"I may have, and I will die in vain because... I know I can't do anything to you so just finish the fucking job. You killed all of my supporters, and now you are here to kill me."

"No, I am not going to kill you."

"Oh so you can just lock me up. I will break out, and I will murder your wife and future family if you keep me alive…"

"I did not say I will leave you unharmed." said Trascovich as he lunged at Elise and got her in a grapple. He put his foot on her back and pushed until he heard a snap and her scream in absolute pain. He punched her knocking her out and stopping the screaming. He looked down and finally noticed that his suit was showered with blood or that is what Trascovich figured given what he had to do today.


End file.
